Portuguese 
English 
Spanish 
5 min of reading 
0 comments 
Structure under construction in northeastern China promises to expand measurements of planets and asteroids, combining a large mobile antenna, emission of electromagnetic waves, and analysis of signals reflected by celestial bodies in the Solar System.
In Huadian, in the province of Jilin, in northeastern China, construction has begun on a radio telescope with a 120-meter diameter, designed to become the largest fully steerable equipment of its kind in the world.
The structure is expected to help scientists study planets and asteroids with more precise measurements, according to information released by the state agency Xinhua and reproduced by the Chinese Academy of Sciences on November 26 and 27, 2024.
More than just capturing signals from space, the project will have an active role in observations, as it will be able to send electromagnetic waves to celestial bodies and receive the reflected signals back to Earth.
-
At 3,000 meters deep in the sea, a robot was searching for something strange when it found a fossilized tooth of a megalodon, a giant shark extinct about 3.6 million years ago, still resting on the seabed.
-
PRF helicopter drops 4 tons of seeds in Brazil in an aerial reforestation operation that transforms juçara palm bags into green rain and aims to launch 30 tons in Paraná, starting with areas affected by tornadoes.
-
Brazil wants to revive the Caatinga before desertification advances and launches a plan to recover 10 million hectares of degraded land by 2045, with an initial R$ 60 million, cisterns, underground dams, agroforestry, and actions to bring water, food, and income to the Semi-arid region.
-
Martian dust, potato starch, and a pinch of salt become “space concrete” twice as strong as the usual in research that could change the construction of bases outside Earth.
With this return, researchers can calculate with greater precision the distances between Earth, planets, and other objects in the Solar System, as well as refine data on the position and movement of these celestial bodies.
This capability places the Chinese antenna in the field of active radar observation, a technique in which the instrument emits signals, tracks the echo produced by the observed target, and transforms this return into detailed astronomical measurements.
Radio Telescope in Jilin Will Have Fully Steerable Structure
The facility is located in Huadian, a city in the province of Jilin, one of the regions in northeastern China chosen to receive new ground-based space observation instruments.
According to Xinhua, the site was chosen in May 2024, and preliminary work began after the area was defined, as stated by Luo Xuejiu, head of the office responsible for the project.
Before assembling the antenna, the team completed the pile foundation, a necessary step to support a large structure and ensure stability to the set that will receive the movement and measurement systems.
Luo also reported that the installation, adjustments, and testing of the radio telescope are expected to be completed in 2028, a timeline that includes technical preparation before regular scientific use.
Due to its size, the antenna immediately stands out among the major radio astronomy projects under construction, as the parabolic reflector will be larger than many buildings and will need to operate with precise control.
To track specific targets in the sky, the fully orientable structure will be decisive, as it allows moving the equipment with greater freedom than fixed radio telescopes or those limited by their position on the terrain.
In instruments with little mobility, the observable area depends more on the Earth’s rotation and the position of the structure, while mobile antennas can follow objects for longer and adjust observations according to scientific needs.
How the antenna will measure planets and asteroids
In the Huadian radio telescope, the planned operation combines emission and reception of signals, a feature that allows studying objects in the Solar System without relying solely on the waves naturally captured by observatories.
By directing electromagnetic waves to a celestial body and recording the return of this signal, researchers can calculate distances and track trajectories with a high degree of precision in relation to Earth.
This type of measurement is especially important for nearby planets, moons, and asteroids because it helps understand orbits, speeds, and positions of objects that continuously move through space.
According to the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the equipment should contribute to a more precise understanding of planets and asteroids, although the official description does not detail which targets will be prioritized in the first observations.
There is also no confirmed date in the disclosed information for the start of scientific operations after the testing phase, which keeps the schedule limited to installation, calibration, and technical validation.
Even with increasingly advanced probes and satellites, ground-installed antennas remain fundamental for capturing signals, tracking objects, and producing data used in different areas of astronomy and space research.
China expands network of large radio telescopes
The equipment in Jilin adds to a series of Chinese investments in radio astronomy, an area in which the country already operates large-scale instruments aimed at deep space observation.
Among them is the FAST, a 500-meter aperture spherical radio telescope located in Guizhou, described by Xinhua as the largest single-dish radio telescope and the most sensitive in the world.
Despite its larger size, FAST belongs to another category of instrument, as it was installed in a natural depression and does not have the same fully orientable antenna configuration planned for Huadian.
Precisely by combining large diameter with full movement capability, the new radio telescope stands out within the set of Chinese structures dedicated to observation by radio signals.
Xinhua also reported that China is building smaller fully orientable radio telescopes in locations such as the Changbai Mountain Protection and Development Zone in Jilin, Xigaze in Tibet, and Qitai in Xinjiang.
In the evaluation released by the agency, mobile equipment can observe a larger part of the sky compared to fixed instruments of the same size, which reinforces the importance of complete orientation.
This network indicates a strategy to expand space observation from the ground, with instruments different from each other and aimed at specific scientific purposes, such as planetary measurements and asteroid tracking.
Project depends on calibration and technical tests until 2028
The physical construction represents only one stage of the project, because a radio telescope of this size needs to undergo calibration, movement tests, stability verification, and integration of emission and reception systems.
Small structural variations can affect astronomical measurements, so the foundation, orientation control, and adjustment systems will play a central role in maintaining precision during operations.
Within the disclosed schedule, the expected completion in 2028 includes installation, adjustment, and tests, according to information attributed to Luo Xuejiu, before the equipment enters regular scientific use.
Until this phase, the project will still depend on the assembly of the main components and the necessary technical validation to transform the 120-meter antenna into an operational radio astronomy instrument.
When operational, the Huadian radio telescope is expected to enhance China’s capacity to measure objects in the Solar System from Earth, using radio signals to obtain data on distances, trajectories, and movements.
Be the first to react!