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> China is a latecomer to the project. I remember reading somewhere that the project only became feasible because China came up with way to save on the constru
by botanical 3y ago
> China is a latecomer to the project.
I remember reading somewhere that the project only became feasible because China came up with way to save on the construction costs of the telescopes (or something like that).
- wtcactus 3y agoI don't think that's a real issue. The innovation isn't happening on the Mid Dishes. This is well understood tech that's been around for several decades. There are some interesting advances in the Low antennas, but those are being built mostly by Italian companies. I think - as general knowledge - that manufacturing in China usually saves in the cost. But that's not the big part of the budget.
- MichaelZuo 3y ago> I think - as general knowledge - that manufacturing in China usually saves in the cost. But that's not the big part of the budget. 'General knowledge' is that it only saves significantly in cost if your willing to accept significantly lower quality. If somehow it was figured out to make 'well understood tech that's been around for several decades' of the same quality, at a significantly lower cost, that's literally more important than probably every other innovation or contribution in the project.