CHINA is funding the concept study and considering funding the feasibility study of a large space telescope that looks for exoplanets and aims to start operation around 2035, according to its researchers.

Named Tianlin or “neighbor in the sky” in Chinese, the 6-meter class UV to optical space telescope will be mainly dedicated to looking for Earth-like planets, particularly Earth twins in the habitable zones around nearby stars, according to researchers from the Key Laboratory of Optical Astronomy under National Astronomical Observatories in Beijing.

The habitable zone is the not-too-hot and not-too-cold regions around a star where liquid water can exist on a planet’s surface.

The Tianlin telescope will be launched to the Sun-Earth L2 point halo orbit. The L2 point is ideal for astronomy because a spacecraft is close enough to communicate with the Earth, can keep the Sun, Earth and Moon behind the spacecraft for solar power, and offers a clear view of deep space for telescopes.(Xinhua)