Will the largest telescope project on Earth become part of China’s Belt and Road Initiative in the US’ absence?

As the global Square Kilometre Array Observatory takes shape, Chinese media has called it a ‘landmark belt and road’ project

But SKAO management and scientists have been quick to correct the claim, saying the telescope network and belt and road are entirely separate

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The Square Kilometre Array Observatory will see Chinese-made radio dishes installed in South Africa as well as antennas in Australia in a massive global data-sharing project. Photo: Xinhua

Published: 6:00am, 12 Nov 2023

The first instruments China has built for the world’s largest radio telescope network will soon be installed in South Africa to help detect signals from the most distant parts of the universe.

Four 15 metre- (49-feet) wide, 20 metre-tall radio dishes, developed by engineers at the 54th Research Institute of China Electronic Technology Group Cooperation in Shijiazhuang, will be put in place early next year at Meerkat National Park, a core site of the Square Kilometre Array Observatory (SKAO).

Being built by scientists and engineers from 20 countries, the SKAO will eventually comprise some 200 parabolic dishes in South Africa and more than 131,000 Christmas-tree-like antennas in Australia, with a combined collecting area of 1 sq km (247 acres).

With sensitivity 50 times higher than any other radio instrument, and a surveying speed 10,000 times faster, the SKAO will be used to study a wide range of phenomena, from the mysteries of dark matter and dark energy to the search for life beyond Earth and test of Albert Einstein’s general theory of relativity.

But with the completion of the new dishes has come intense media coverage in China – along with claims the project is part of the country’s global infrastructure push the Belt and Road Initiative.

“The SKA is a key international scientific research cooperation project of the Belt and Road Initiative,” China Central Television said in a report on August 18.

Will the largest telescope project on Earth become part of China’s Belt and Road Initiative in the US’ absence?

As the global Square Kilometre Array Observatory takes shape, Chinese media has called it a ‘landmark belt and road’ project But SKAO management and scientists have been quick to correct the claim, saying the telescope network and belt and road are entirely separate

As the global Square Kilometre Array Observatory takes shape, Chinese media has called it a ‘landmark belt and road’ project

But SKAO management and scientists have been quick to correct the claim, saying the telescope network and belt and road are entirely separate