Inauguration Ceremony at NAOC (Credit: NAOC)

On April 17, 2021, the Joint Science Center for China Space Station Telescope (CSST) based at National Astronomical Observatories of Chinese Academy of Sciences (NAOC) was inaugurated.

Distinguished representatives and experts from China Manned Space Program, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and NAOC as well attended at the Grand Ceremony. And astronomers and engineers from over 20 institutions and universities, including Peking University, Tsinghua University and etc, jointed the ceremony.

The participants congratulated NAOC on the inauguration of CSST. It is in the expectation of all that CSST will be the largest and state-of-the-art space telescope from near-ultraviolet to near-infrared bands in the upcoming years by the joint and close cooperation between scientists and engineers.

The China Space Station Telescope (CSST) is the flagship project of China Manned Space Program. It is a large field of view (FOV), wide bandwidth, and high image quality 2-meters (6.6-foot) space telescope.

Since 2020, China Manned Space Program Agency has set up four science centers, including Peking University Science Center, National Astronomical Observatories Science Center, Yangtze River Delta Regional Science Center, and Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Science Center. The joint Science Center based at NAOC is mainly in charge of communicating the scientist and data reduction system.