On February 14, the second phase of "China Compound Eye" - the large-scale distributed aperture deep space detection radar project kick-off activity was held in Yunyang County, Chongqing City.

The rendering of the second phase of the "China Compound Eye" project. Photo provided by Yunyang County Economic Information Commission

The "China Compound Eye" project is led by Beijing Institute of Technology. It plans to build the world's farthest detection radar in Chongqing, and observe asteroids, spacecraft, moons, terrestrial planets and Jupiter's Galileo satellites through high-resolution deep space targets. Meet major national needs such as near-Earth asteroid defense and space situational awareness, and provide support for world-leading scientific research on Earth's habitability and planetary formation. The project is scheduled to be completed in 2025.

The second phase of the "China Compound Eye" project will land on Zhongzhou Island, Longjiao Town, Yunyang County, covering a total area of more than 300 mu. It will build 25 radars with a 30-meter aperture. After completion, it will become the deep space detection radar with the strongest comprehensive performance in the world. , realize the detection and imaging of asteroids tens of millions of kilometers away, and provide important support for my country's near-Earth asteroid impact defense and planetary science research.

"Chinese compound eyes" are similar to the compound eyes of insects. Photo provided by Yunyang County Economic Information Commission

The project is divided into three phases of construction. The first phase of "Distributed Radar Celestial Imaging Measuring Instrument Verification Test Site" is located in Mingyue Mountain, Liangjiang New District, Chongqing. It consists of four 16-meter aperture radars. The construction was completed in December 2022. When it was started up and running, it successfully captured my country's first ground-based three-dimensional radar image of a lunar crater. After the completion of the second phase of the project, the third phase of the "China Compound Eye" project plans to expand the number of radar units to a scale of 100. With the continuous advancement of the construction of "Chinese compound eyes", it will greatly expand the boundaries of human radar deep space exploration.

Since the Chongqing Municipal Government signed a strategic cooperation agreement with Beijing Institute of Technology in 2018, Beijing Institute of Technology Chongqing Innovation Center has been established around advanced manufacturing and new generation information technology, and Beijing Institute of Technology Chongqing Microelectronics has been established around micro-nano manufacturing and other fields. The center has made a series of achievements in technological innovation and personnel training.

The relevant person in charge of the Municipal Science and Technology Bureau said that in the next step, the in-depth cooperation with Beijing Institute of Technology in the field of science and technology will be further strengthened, and the advantages of scientific research and talents of Beijing Institute of Technology will be fully utilized. On the one hand, promote the formation of new cooperation projects, continuously extend the industrial chain innovation chain, and help Chongqing build a scientific and technological innovation base with national influence.