Chinese radar installation to observe deep space begins the second phase of construction

The second phase of China's deep space observation radar facility, the China Compound Eye, began construction on Tuesday in southwestern of Chongqing, according to the Beijing Institute of Technology, as reported by Xinhua News Agency, a partner of TV BRICS.

Covering an area of more than 300 mu (20 hectares), the new phase will see the construction of 25 high-resolution radars, each with a diameter of 30 metres, and is expected to be completed by 2025.

The China Compound Eye will be used to observe and capture images of deep space objects with high resolution, including asteroids, the Moon and planets like Earth, serving the country's defence work against near-Earth asteroids and planetary science research.

Defence against asteroids includes a number of techniques that can be used to alter the trajectory of near-Earth objects and prevent a possibly catastrophic impact event. The fall of a large enough asteroid or other near-Earth object can cause huge tsunamis, firestorms the size of a continent, or an impact winter.

Its construction comprises three phases, with the phase consisting of four 16-metre diameter radars completed last December. Upon completion of the third phase, the facility is expected to have more than 100 radars.

In order to prepare and implement a plan to prevent the impact, an asteroid must, in most cases, must be detected a few years in advance of impact.

This radar will be able to monitor the trajectory of a football-sized asteroid at a distance of tens of millions of kilometers to determine if it could pose a threat to our planet.

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