Groundbreaking radio telescope project in Xinjiang gets official approval

The Qitai Radio Telescope (QTT) (110-m in diameter) science project in Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region has been approved by the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) in a move seen as a boost to the development of Chinese radio astronomical research and technology.

The QTT project was believed to have been approved on December 26, 2017, and the Xinjiang Astronomical Observatory (XAO) will be responsible for its completion in Qitai county, thepaper.cn reported on Wednesday.

Zheng Yongchun, a researcher at the National Astronomical Observatory said that the QTT will be the world’s largest fully steerable single-dish telescope, capable of high frequency observation of about three-quarters of the sky, including the Galactic Center.

The QTT project is to set up the most advanced aperture radio telescope for serving the domestic and global astronomical community.

A new radio telescope astronomical center will be built once QTT is completed, promoting astronomical research and cooperation, said Chen Qi, a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference.

The QTT will be located in a closed basin at Shihezi meadow, Qitai county. The infrastructure construction of the QTT project was initiated in June 2017.