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China launches world’s biggest radio telescope

Written by Ben Blaschke

Will China be the one to discover intelligent life in outer space?

In what is said to be the latest symbol of its progress, China yesterday unveiled the world’s biggest radio telescope – a monstrous 500-meter dish almost twice as big as the previous record holder in Puerto Rico.

Located in the hills of Guizhou, the Aperture Spherical Radio Telescope (FAST) cost US$236 million to build and saw almost 10,000 people relocated during construction. The size of 30 football fields, it also boasts twice the sensitivity of Puerto Rico’s dish with its 4,450 panels to search for intelligent life and observe distant pulsars.

President Xi Jinping reportedly sent congratulatory letters to the team that built FAST as the nation continues showcase its technological advancements to the world. China is also planning send a permanent space station into space by 2020.