The Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Radio Telescope (FAST) in southwest China's Guizhou Province. (Photo: VCG)

China plans to open its Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Radio Telescope (FAST), the world's largest single-dish radio telescope, to global scientists starting April 1, said the National Astronomical Observatories (NAO).

The observatory, which began full operations in January 2020 after passing a series of technical and performance assessments, has the highest sensitivity to detect cosmic phenomena.

According to Jiang Peng, the chief engineer of the FAST project, approximately 10% of the time allocated for foreign scientists will be used for FAST.

FAST has immense potential to detect fast radio bursts and gravitational waves, providing data support for research into the physical process of the Big Bang, according to experts at the NAO.

China's move to open the FAST telescope to global scientists showcases its determination to better leverage the role of FAST in global research and conduct cooperation with the rest of the world in exploring the universe.

(Compiled by Lu Dong)