On August 18, the QiTai radio Telescope (QTT) reached one of its major milestones as the final diagonal beam was hoisted into place, completing the three‑tier azimuth alidade. With that, the antenna's main structure has entered its final construction phase.

The azimuth frame is now fully capable of carrying the elevation structure load, providing stable and reliable support for the 3,000 tonnes weights, and it makes the QTT a fully steerable radio telescope with a large aperture. This lays a solid foundation for the overall operation of itstechnical systems.

Since construction began, the QTT project team of Xinjiang Astronomical Observatory has successfully completed its infrastructure work and achieved a series of technological breakthroughs. Scheduled for completion in 2027 and expected to become fully operational in 2028, the telescope will offer arcsecond‑level pointing accuracy and provide powerful observational capabilities for research into gravitational wave, the structural evolution of the Milky Way, pulsar timing arrays, and other frontiers of astronomy.

The engineering and technical team of the QTT project remains committed to scientific precision and professionalism, ensuring the project is completed successfully.