China to build world's largest astronomy base by mid-2030s
What's the story
China is on its way to establish the world's largest astronomy base by the mid-2030s. The project, which is already underway on the Tibetan plateau, will feature some of Earth's most powerful optical telescopes. The telescopes will be located at Saishiteng Mountain in northwestern Qinghai province and will range from 6.5 meters to 14.5 meters in diameter.
Global comparison
They will surpass Mauna Kea telescopes
The collective light-gathering power of these telescopes is expected to surpass that of the ones on Hawaii's Mauna Kea peak. This is a major step forward in ground-based astronomical observation, which has long been dominated by Mauna Kea and its twin 10-meter Keck telescopes, 8.2-meter Subaru, and 8.1-meter Gemini North.
Project development
LOT, MUST to be funded by government and private capital
The construction of Large Optical Telescope (LOT) and MUltiplexed Survey Telescope (MUST) is already underway. The LOT, a 14.5-meter telescope, is being built at a cost of CNY 2.5 billion. It is government-funded and led by the National Astronomical Observatories of China (NAOC). Meanwhile, MUST, a smaller 6.5-meter telescope with a budget of CNY 1.5 billion, is primarily funded by private capital and led by Tsinghua University team. Both LOT and MUST are expected to achieve practical use by 2030.