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China aims to operate first large space telescope in orbit around 2024

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China’s first large space telescope is expected to start scientific operations around 2024 at the China Space Station, according to the country’s manned space program.

The Chinese Survey Space Telescope, also known as the Chinese Space Station Telescope (CSST), or Xuntian (meaning “survey to heavens” in English) Space Telescope, is a space-based optical observatory for astronomers to carry out sky surveys, capturing a general map or images of the sky.

It will have a nominal mission lifetime of 10 years, which could be extended in principle.

As the optical cabin of China Space Station, whose construction is expected to be completed before the end of 2022, the Xuntian has an aperture of two meters and state-of-art detectors. It is a bus-sized facility, weighing more than 10 tonnes, with a length equal to that of a three-story building.

A T-shaped complex will be formed once the construction of the China Space Station is completed. /CFP

Developing prototype sample of Xuntian

According to Changchun Institute of Optics, Fine Mechanics and Physics under the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), China is developing the prototype sample of Xuntian with progress already made in the preliminary development process.

“The Xuntian Space Telescope consists of two parts. One is the Xuntian optical facility, and the other is the Xuntian platform. The former is a telescope which has many subsystems,” Zhan Hu, principal scientist of Xuntian optical facility and researcher from the National Astronomical Observatories of the CAS, told China Media Group (CMG).

The first-generation Xuntian Space Telescope consists of five observation apparatuses, including the Xuntian module, the terahertz module, the multichannel imager, the integral field spectrograph, and the extrasolar planetary imaging coronagraph. Among them, the Xuntian module, a camera with a wide field of view, will be mostly responsible for the observation.

Xu Shuyan, chief designer of the Xuntian optical facility and researcher with the National Astronomical Observatories of the CAS, told CMG that his team has completed developing all subsystems, components, and units of the Xuntian. They are now preparing for the joint test of Xuntian’s future space launch.

The Xuntian Space Telescope will be launched to space after the completion of the China Space Station. During its normal observations, the Xuntian will fly independently in the same orbit as the space station but will keep a significant distance from it.

An illustration of the solar system. /CFP

Unraveling cosmic mysteries

The Xuntian has a field of view 300 times greater than the Hubble Space Telescope while retaining a similar resolution.

The Xuntian Space Telescope, also known as the CSST, is likely to be the largest space telescope for astronomy in the near-ultraviolet and visible scope in the decade before 2035, said Zhan Hu, project scientist of the CSST Optical Facility.

Li Ran, another project scientist of the CSST Scientific Data Reduction System, used the analogy of photographing a sheep flock to explain Xuntian’s capabilities. “Hubble may see a sheep but the CSST sees thousands, all at the same resolution.”

With a huge 2.5-billion-pixel camera, the Xuntian will be able to observe up to 40 percent of the sky over 10 years. It will also co-orbit Earth with the Chinese space station and periodically dock with the future crewed outpost.

Xuntian’s mission as a space optical observatory also includes investigating the properties of dark matter and dark energy, the cosmos, galaxy formation and evolution.

Source: CGTN

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UN adopts first global artificial intelligence resolution to ensure AI is safe

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The United Nations General Assembly unanimously adopted the first global resolution on artificial intelligence on Thursday, encouraging countries to safeguard human rights, protect personal data, and monitor AI for risks.

The nonbinding resolution, proposed by the United States and co-sponsored by China along with over 120 other nations, also advocates for the strengthening of privacy policies.

“Today, all 193 members of the United Nations General Assembly have spoken in one voice, and together, chosen to govern artificial intelligence rather than let it govern us,” U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield said.

The resolution is the latest in a series of initiatives – few of which carry significant enforceability – by governments around the world to shape AI’s development amid fears it could disrupt democratic processes, turbocharge fraud, or lead to dramatic job losses, among other harms.

“The improper or malicious design, development, deployment and use of artificial intelligence systems … pose risks that could … undercut the protection, promotion and enjoyment of human rights and fundamental freedoms,” the measure states.

In November, the U.S., Britain and more than a dozen other countries unveiled the first detailed international agreement on how to keep artificial intelligence safe from rogue actors, pushing for companies to create AI systems that are “secure by design.”

Europe is ahead of the United States, with EU lawmakers adopting a provisional agreement this month to oversee the technology. The Biden administration has been pressing lawmakers for AI regulation, but a polarized U.S. Congress has made little headway. In the meantime, the White House sought to reduce AI risks to consumers, workers, and minorities while also bolstering national security with a new executive order in October.

The resolution aims to close the digital divide between rich developed countries and poorer developing countries to ensure that all are included in discussions on AI. It also aims to ensure that developing countries have the technology and capabilities to take advantage of AI’s benefits, including detecting diseases, predicting floods, helping farmers, and training the next generation of workers.

The resolution recognizes the rapid acceleration of AI development and use and stresses “the urgency of achieving global consensus on safe, secure and trustworthy artificial intelligence systems.”

It also acknowledges that “the governance of artificial intelligence systems is an evolving area” that requires further discussions on possible governance approaches and emphasizes that innovation and regulation are mutually reinforcing – not mutually exclusive.

Source(s): CGTN

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Beijing still tops Nature Index global science city rankings

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Beijing has consistently ranked first in the global science city rankings for eight consecutive years, as measured by the Nature Index, according to Yin Yong, deputy secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Beijing Municipal Committee and mayor of Beijing.

Nature Index tracks the authorship of articles in prestigious research journals and Beijing’s ranking has shown that the city remains the top science city in the world.

On Tuesday, China’s State Council Information Office held a press conference on leveraging Beijing’s strategic role as the national capital, initiating a new chapter in high-quality development. Yin made the remarks while he answered questions from the media at the press conference.

Yin also introduced the capital’s achievement in seeking scientific and technological innovation and attracting high-level talent in science and technology.

Beijing has 92 colleges and universities, and more than 1,000 research institutes and its numbers of national laboratories and large scientific installations are ranked first in the country.

Beijing’s investment in research and development has also been among the largest in the country. Every 10,000 people in Beijing hold an average of over 262 invention patents, ranking first in China.

The capital has a large talent pool with more than 550,000 scientific researchers. In the field of artificial intelligence, for instance, Beijing’s top talent accounts for about 43 percent of the country’s total.

An average of 337 technology-based enterprises are established in Beijing every day, and the number of national high-tech enterprises and unicorn enterprises rank first among all cities in the country.

Source(s): CGTN

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Newly operated Hydro-floating solar project showcases China-Thailand cooperation in clean energy

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KHON KAEN, Thailand, March 5 (Xinhua) — A hydro-floating solar project jointly built by Chinese and Thai companies started commercial operation on Tuesday to support Thailand’s development of clean energy.

The Ubolratana Dam hydro-floating solar hybrid power plant, located in Thailand’s northeastern Khon Kaen province, integrates floating solar panels, clean hydropower, high-efficiency energy storage systems, and smart energy management systems, according to Dongfang Electric International Corporation, one of the world’s largest manufacturers of power-generating equipment that built the project with its Thai partner.

Jiraporn Sirikum, deputy governor of the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT), said building floating solar hybrid power plants is an important step toward the clean energy production and power stability of Thailand, praising the Chinese and the Thai companies for being able to deliver the project ahead of schedule.

“This showed a serious commitment to promoting clean energy in Thailand. We sincerely hope that the floating solar will help to promote clean energy for the community economy and local society,” Jiraporn told a commercial operation launching ceremony.

Liu Hongmei, Chinese Consul General in Khon Kaen, said she believed that the project’s commercial operation would bring greater well-being to the people of Northeast Thailand and mark a new milestone for Chinese enterprise investment in the region.

The Ubolratana Dam hydro-floating solar hybrid power plant is its second such hydro-floating solar project, said EGAT, which aims to build more such projects nationwide to promote clean energy.

Source(s): Xinhua

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