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China builds world's largest astronomy base on Saishiteng Mountain

China is developing Saishiteng Mountain in Qinghai province into the world's largest astronomy base, aiming to surpass Hawaii's Mauna Kea in light-gathering power by the mid-2030s. The site will feature multiple large optical telescopes, including the 14.5-meter Large Optical Telescope (LOT) and the 6.5-meter MUST. The LOT is government-funded and led by the National Astronomical Observatories of China, while MUST is primarily funded by private capital and led by Tsinghua University. Both are targeted for first light by 2030. AI

IMPACT This development focuses on optical astronomy infrastructure, with no direct AI industry impact.

RANK_REASON Development of a major scientific infrastructure project with international comparison. [lever_c_demoted from significant: ic=1 ai=0.1]

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China builds world's largest astronomy base on Saishiteng Mountain

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Development of a major scientific infrastructure project with international comparison. [lever_c_demoted from significant: ic=1 ai=0.1]
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COVERAGE [1]

  1. SCMP — Tech TIER_1 English(EN) · Ling Xin ·

    How China is working to turn Saishiteng Mountain into the world’s largest astronomy base

    Construction on the Tibetan plateau of some of the Earth’s most powerful optical telescopes is putting China on track to house the world’s biggest astronomy base by the mid-2030s, according to project scientists. Deng Licai, lead scientist for site planning at the National Astron…