China has made progress in scientific data simulation for the Chinese Space Station Telescope (CSST), also known as the Xuntian Space Telescope, marking a crucial step in preparing for the country's flagship space astronomy facility.
A collaborative Chinese research team built an end-to-end observation simulation suite for both the telescope's main optical system and various observation terminals.
The suite achieved high-quality, pixel-level simulation of observation data, which will be used for the comprehensive evaluation of the telescope's overall performance.
The research was published online Wednesday in a special issue of the journal Research in Astronomy and Astrophysics, and is expected to lay the foundation for high-yield original scientific output after the telescope is launched.
The CSST is a major space astronomy facility planned as part of China's manned space program. Equipped with a 2-meter-aperture primary mirror, the telescope features a large field of view, high image quality and wide waveband coverage.
It is expected to facilitate major scientific discoveries across various astrophysical fields, including cosmology, the study of galaxies, the Milky Way, stars and planets, according to the National Astronomical Observatories under the Chinese Academy of Sciences (NAOC), which led the study.
Scientific simulation is an indispensable procedure prior to the launch. It acts as a "digital rehearsal" for the mission, generating mock data to validate the process flow and optimize observation strategies before the launch.
The CSST is an important component of China's space station. After launch, it will fly independently in the same orbit as the space station and can dock with the station for supply, maintenance and upgrades.
Key breakthrough achieved in data simulation for China's Space Telescope
Key breakthrough achieved in data simulation for China's Space Telescope
Smart technologies have reshaped China's ecological and environmental monitoring system, Huang Runqiu, minister of Ecology and Environment, said Thursday in Beijing on the sidelines of the fourth session of the 14th National People's Congress(NPC).
"Regarding ecological and environmental monitoring, we have been promoting the digitalization, informatization, and intelligentization of the entire monitoring process in recent years, reshaping the ecological and environmental monitoring system. For instance, in water environment monitoring and sampling, we have used intelligent drones which can quickly locate sampling points, collect samples accurately, return rapidly, and they are safe and reliable, improving work efficiency by over 70 percent. They are particularly advantageous for sampling during flood seasons and in remote areas," Huang told the press.
"In terms of environmental sample analysis, we have developed 'lights-out laboratories' in recent years. As the name suggests, these labs operate without lights and are unattended. Through robotic arms, robots, and intelligent management systems, they achieve full-process automation and intelligence from sample handover, testing, and analysis to report generation. This has significantly enhanced work efficiency, increasing it by more than eightfold compared to traditional labs. More importantly, it reduces human interference, human error, and even data falsification," he said.
Thanks to the improved ecological and environmental supervision capabilities, the number of environmental violation cases nationwide has decreased from 130,000 five years ago to 43,000 last year, representing a decline of 68 percent, Huang said.
The minister said China has already applied environmental DNA technology in the biodiversity monitoring work.
"In the field of biodiversity monitoring, monitoring aquatic organisms remains a weak point. However, significant progress has been made in recent years as we have developed environmental DNA technology. Although this chip is very small in size, it contains DNA detection information for aquatic organisms, including the finless porpoise and the Chinese sucker, from 19 state-controlled sections in the Jiangsu segment of the Yangtze River. The results showed that over the past five years, more than 20 species of aquatic organisms have increased in this river section, fully demonstrating the tangible effectiveness of the ten-year fishing ban in the Yangtze River," Huang said while showing a chip to reporters.
The 14th NPC, China's national legislature, concluded its fourth session on Thursday.
Smart technologies reshape China's ecological, environmental monitoring system: minister
