Construction of core array of China's FAST telescope begun

The construction of the Core Array of China's five-hundred-metre Aperture Spherical Radio Telescope (FAST) started on September 25th, highlighting China's growing potential in global radio astronomy research, Xinhua reports

Photo by Xinhua

As a proposed extension of FAST, the Core Array integrates 24 secondary 40-metre antennas implanted within 5km of the FAST site. This was informed by Jiang Peng, the Deputy Director of the National Astronomical Observatories under the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

The Chinese-designed array will combine the unprecedented sensitivity of FAST with a high angular resolution, thereby exceeding the capabilities at similar frequencies of next-generation arrays in the world.

The FAST Core Array is estimated to be completed and put into operation in 2027.