Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Space
Space
Science
Tereza Pultarova

China wants to launch a moon-orbiting telescope array as soon as 2026

China's planned moon-orbiting telescope, the Discovering Sky at the Longest Wavelength Project.

China wants to put a small constellation of satellites in orbit around the moon to create a radio telescope that would open a "new window" into the universe. 

The array would consist of one "mother" satellite and eight mini "daughter" craft. The mother would process data and communicate with Earth, and the daughters would detect radio signals from the farthest reaches of the cosmos, Xuelei Chen, an astronomer at the China National Space Administration (CNSA), said at the Astronomy From the Moon conference held earlier this year in London. 

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.