China's Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Radio Telescope (FAST) has linked up with new test antennas, a breakthrough toward upgrading the giant facility.
This achievement validates the core technology needed to transform FAST into a more powerful astronomical network.
To test this upgrade, scientists built a pilot array of four 40-meter antennas. Two of them have already performed successful joint observations with the main FAST dish, producing clear signals that confirmed precise synchronization, a fundamental requirement for the next phase.
The long-term plan is to build a hybrid-aperture radio interferometric array with FAST at its center, surrounded by up to 64 of these 40-meter antennas within a 30-kilometer radius in southwest China's Guizhou Province.
This configuration will create a "virtual telescope" with a resolution equivalent to a dish dozens of kilometers across, combining FAST's extraordinary sensitivity with much sharper imaging capability.
Since its commissioning in 2016, FAST has made groundbreaking discoveries in pulsar research, fast radio bursts, and nanohertz gravitational waves.
However, its ability to pinpoint the exact location and detailed structure of cosmic objects has been limited. The new array system is designed specifically to overcome this "vision" limitation while amplifying its "listening" power.
Once fully implemented, the enhanced FAST network will open new frontiers in astronomy, from studying gravitational wave events and neutral hydrogen galaxies to supporting national strategic needs such as deep-space surveillance and near-Earth object warning.
China FAST telescope links with test antennas in breakthrough upgrade
China's 15th Five-Year Plan proposal sends a strong signal of the country's commitment to upholding openness and cooperation, which will promote further development for the country and the world, said officials and scholars around the world.
The draft 15th Five-Year Plan, the blueprint that will guide the world's second-largest economy from 2026 to 2030, is central to steer China to move toward modernization amid technological disruption, demographic shifts and an increasingly fractured global order, according to the scholars.
"China's 15th Five-Year Plan is not a rigid model; it is more like benchmarks for growth targets and focal points. Chinese economists and economic decision-makers are not just focusing on qualitative growth, but also on innovative development. We're witnessing new transportation methods, robotics and artificial intelligence," said Andrey Denisov, first deputy chair of Russia's Federation Council Committee on Foreign Affairs and former Russian Ambassador to China.
"The 15th Five-Year Plan is of great importance to China's development. The country is poised to make remarkable advancements in various sectors, including artificial intelligence, high-end manufacturing and infrastructure construction. Given the shifting global context and China's transition towards high-quality development, I am confident that this plan will herald a new era for China's development," said Kamel Mansari, news director of the French-language daily Le Jeune Independent.
Scholars also noted that China's commitment to high-quality development and high-level opening-up will promote win-win results and benefit the world.
"China has emerged as a key partner for most countries worldwide, and a preferred partner due to its closeness and integration with global communities, as well as its strong humanitarian perspective. The Chinese economy has not only benefited itself; it has helped many economies worldwide flourish through its partnerships," said Dirgham Muhammad Ali, an Iraqi economic expert.
China's National People's Congress (NPC) is scheduled to open in Beijing on Wednesday, with lawmakers set to approve the 15th Five-Year Plan.
15th Five-Year Plan to guide China's development, benefit world: scholars
