Construction of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area science center for the Chinese Space Station Telescope (CSST), led by Guangzhou-based Sun Yat-sen University (SYSU), has recently started.

"The Greater Bay Area science center will focus on research in the fields of galactic cosmology, stellar and planetary science, compact stars and sources of gravitational waves, as well as space experiment techniques," said Luo Jun, SYSU president and chief scientist of the space-based gravitational wave detection program "Tianqin".

The science center will also make full use of SYSU's academic and talent strengths, as well as leverage the regional, economic, and policy advantages of the Greater Bay Area to pool astronomical research resources to expand channels for international cooperation and serve China's major strategic needs, added Luo.

According to Yu Cong, a professor at SYSU's School of Physics and Astronomy, the CSST is scheduled to be launched into low-Earth orbit in 2024, and will provide Chinese scientists with a powerful instrument to observe space and strong support for China's major original creative scientific research.

A total of four CSST science centers have been arranged by the China Manned Space Engineering Office (CMSEO) to be built around the country. The other three are respectively in Peking University, the National Astronomical Observatories of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and the Yangtze River Delta region.

The construction period for the Greater Bay Area science center is three years, according to the construction plan.