Construction on the Tibetan plateau of some of the Earth’s most powerful optical telescopes is putting China on track to house the world’s biggest astronomy base by the mid-2030s, according to project scientists. Deng Licai, lead scientist for site planning at the National Astronomical Observatories of China (NAOC) in Beijing, said the telescopes at Saishiteng Mountain in northwestern Qinghai province would stretch between 6.5 metres (21.3 feet) and 14.5 metres across, and partner with dozens of