Organisation Sun Yat-sen University | ||
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Telescope style gravitational-wave detector, space observatory | ||
The TianQin Project (Chinese: 天琴计划) is a proposed space-borne gravitational-wave observatory (gravitational-wave detector) consisting of three spacecraft in Earth orbit. The TianQin project is being led by Professor Jun Luo, President of Sun Yat-sen University, and is based in the university's Zhuhai campus. Construction on project-related infrastcuture, which will include a research-building, ultra-quiet cave laboratory, and observation center, began in March 2016. The project is estimated to cost 15 billion RMB (2.3 billion USD), with a projected launch date between 2025 and 2030.
The project's name combines the Chinese words "Tian" (天), meaning sky or heavens, and "Qin" (琴), meaning stringed instrument. This name refers to the metaphorical concept of gravitational waves "plucking the strings" by causing fluctuations in the 100,000 kilometer laser beams stretching between each of the three TianQin spacecraft.