The reporter learned from the press conference on the scientific and technological achievements of the Xinjiang Branch of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in 2023 held by the People's Information Office of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region that the Qitai Radio Telescope (referred to as "QTT") project is progressing smoothly as a whole and is expected to be completed and put into use in 2028.
At present, the QTT project has completed the review of the detailed design scheme of the antenna system and the overall design scheme of electromagnetic compatibility; The telescope master control and astronomical observation software, ultra-wideband high-fidelity signal acquisition and processing have entered the experimental development stage. The foundation project of the track ring beam pile has been completed, and the antenna has entered the production and processing stage.
QTT is the first major scientific research infrastructure project in Xinjiang, with the goal of building a world-leading universal radio telescope with an aperture of 110 meters, omnidirectional articulation, high sensitivity, and multidisciplinary targets based on a world-class astronomical observatory site. The project will adopt the main reflector and ultra-wideband data receiving technology, and realize the high-performance and stable observation of the telescope through core technologies such as high-precision rapid measurement and cooperative control.
Wang Na, director of the Xinjiang Astronomical Observatory of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said that after completion, QTT will be the world's largest and most accurate 100-meter omnidirectional movable radio telescope, which will build a world-class observation platform for the exploration of gravitational waves, fast radio bursts, black holes, dark matter, celestial bodies and the origin of life. It is not only a requirement for the in-depth development of radio astrophysics, astrometry, and astronomical geodynamics, but also a necessary layout for the development of China's space technology and the implementation of national strategic tasks.
Wang Na introduced that the completion of QTT will enable China to compete with world powers in the highly competitive scientific and technological fields such as spacecraft precision orbit determination, data reception and transmission, and provide strong technical support for China's space activities in the future, such as lunar exploration projects, Mars and asteroid exploration, and marginal exploration of the solar system.
In November 2023, the QTT Science and Technology Committee meeting was held, and Ye Shuhua, academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and general consultant of the QTT project, said in his speech that he was full of expectations for the construction of QTT, which will further strengthen and maintain the leading position of radio astronomy in China after the completion of QTT, and will play a role in the development of China's astronomical scientific research. (Xie Huibian).