China’s BEST and FAST Reveal New Milestones in Fusion Energy and Astronomy

BEIJING, October 5, 2026— Two of China’s major scientific facilities, the Compact Fusion Energy Experimental Device (BEST) and the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Radio Telescope (FAST), have reached important new milestones ahead of the National Day holiday. While BEST is advancing toward the next stage of fusion-energy research, FAST is marking a decade of astronomical discoveries with more than 1,300 pulsars identified.

BEST Enters a Critical Construction Stage

The BEST project campus in Hefei, Anhui province, has been delivered ahead of schedule, while construction of the main fusion device has entered a critical “four-ring assembly” stage.

Since July, key components including the vacuum vessel, thermal shield and toroidal-field magnets have been transported to the site. Four vacuum-vessel sections have been successfully positioned, and the first set of toroidal-field magnets has completed testing.

The next stage will involve assembling the major components from the inside out: the vacuum vessel, thermal shield, toroidal-field magnets and internal components. The highly precise installation process is regarded as a major milestone in the construction of the experimental device.

BEST is designed as China’s next-generation fusion-burning experimental facility. Its purpose is to study the scientific and engineering challenges associated with long-duration deuterium-tritium fusion under reactor-like conditions.

Scientists hope that controlled nuclear fusion can eventually provide a potentially abundant and low-carbon source of energy. BEST is therefore intended to help bridge the gap between experimental fusion research and the engineering requirements of future fusion power plants.

According to current plans, the overall construction of BEST is targeted for completion by the end of 2027, with a demonstration of deuterium-tritium fusion power generation planned around 2030.

FAST Marks 10 Years of Discovery

Thousands of kilometers away from the fusion project, FAST in Guizhou is looking in the opposite direction — deep into the universe.

FAST is marking its 10th anniversary in 2026. Over the past decade, the telescope has discovered more than 1,300 pulsars, exceeding the combined number of pulsars identified by other radio telescopes worldwide during the same period, according to Chinese scientific authorities.

FAST has also conducted extensive observations of neutral hydrogen galaxies and contributed to research into pulsars, fast radio bursts, neutral hydrogen and gravitational waves.

Its importance goes beyond the number of discoveries.

FAST’s exceptional sensitivity allows astronomers to detect extremely faint radio signals from distant objects. This capability has opened a new observational window for studying some of the universe’s most difficult-to-detect phenomena.

Research based on FAST observations has generated internationally recognized results, including papers published in leading scientific journals. Some FAST-related achievements have also been recognized among major annual scientific breakthroughs.

FAST Phase II to Expand Its Capabilities

FAST’s development is also moving beyond its first decade of operation.

The second phase of the FAST project is being advanced with plans to deploy dozens of antennas with diameters of about 40 meters within a radius of roughly 30 kilometers around the telescope.

The expanded system is expected to significantly improve sensitivity and greatly enhance resolution, allowing astronomers not only to detect weaker radio signals but also to locate their sources with greater precision.

In June, FAST also completed an important milestone in the localization of its cable-driven suspension system, with six domestically developed high-performance steel cables installed. The upgrade is expected to strengthen the telescope’s long-term operational reliability.

One Looks Toward Future Energy, the Other Toward the Universe

BEST and FAST operate in completely different scientific fields, but they represent two major directions of China’s large-scale scientific infrastructure.

BEST is focused on the future of energy, seeking to address the scientific and engineering challenges of controlled fusion.

FAST is focused on the universe, using highly sensitive radio observations to study pulsars, galaxies and fast radio bursts and to deepen scientists’ understanding of cosmic evolution.

One explores energy deep inside matter; the other listens for signals from the depths of space.

As BEST advances toward its next construction milestones and FAST moves forward with its second phase, China’s major scientific facilities are entering a new stage — not simply building large instruments, but continuously upgrading them and using them to generate long-term scientific discoveries.

From the “artificial sun” to the “China Sky Eye,” these projects demonstrate how large-scale scientific infrastructure can become a foundation for sustained advances in both fundamental science and advanced engineering.