Among 100-metre-class fully steerable radio telescopes now being built, it ranks at the top for precision and observing frequency. The whole reflector can be driven in azimuth and elevation to face nearly any part of the sky, a different mode of observing from fixed large dishes.

The three-tier pedestal supports a pitch assembly weighing more than 3,000 tonnes. Ma Wengang, project director at the 39th Research Institute of China Electronics Technology Group, said the structure provides stable support allowing the reflector to rotate 360 degrees around an axis perpendicular to the Earth's axis.

Construction began in September 2022. The main body is due for completion in 2027, with full operation targeted for 2028. Qitai was chosen for its low radio noise; the instrument is expected to be used for pulsar observation, exoplanet searches and communications support for deep-space probes.

Large radio telescopes rarely produce results in isolation; resolution rises sharply when they join very long baseline interferometry networks linking stations across continents. Which international networks the Qitai dish will join has not been announced.

China already operates FAST, the 500-metre fixed dish in Guizhou. A fixed instrument offers high sensitivity but limited pointing; a fully steerable one trades aperture for freedom of direction. The two are deployed for different roles rather than as substitutes.