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.jpg) 70-m aerial P-2500 (RT-70 radio telescope) in Yevpatoria | |
| Alternative names | P-2500 (П-2500) |
|---|---|
| Part of | |
| Location | |
| Organization |
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| Wavelength | 1 mm – 6 cm (5–300 GHz) |
| Telescope style | Fully steerable Cassegrain radio telescope / radar telescope |
| Number of telescopes | 3 (2 completed, 1 uncompleted) |
| Diameter | 70 m (230 ft) |
| Collecting area | 2,500 m2 (27,000 sq ft) (effective, P-2500) / 3,848 m2 (41,420 sq ft) (geometric) |
| Mounting | Altazimuth |
There are three radio telescopes designated RT-70, all in countries that were once part of the former Soviet Union, all with similar specifications: 70m dishes and an operating range of 5–300GHz. They are a part of the former Soviet Deep Space Network, now operated by Russia. The Yevpatoria facility has also been used as a radar telescope in observations of space debris and asteroids.
With their 70m antenna diameter, they are among the largest radio telescopes in the world.
They are:
- the Yevpatoria RT-70 radio telescope at the former soviet Center for Deep Space Communications or West Center for Deep Space Communications, Yevpatoria, Crimea, Ukraine.
- the Galenki RT-70 radio telescope at the East Center for Deep Space Communications, Galenki (Ussuriysk), Russia.
- the Suffa RT-70 radio telescope at the Suffa Radio Observatory on the Suffa plateau, Uzbekistan. Never completed.
In 2008, RT-70 was used to beam 501 messages at the exoplanet Gliese 581c, in hopes of making contact with extraterrestrial intelligence. The messages should arrive in 2029.
