China laid the foundation for infrastructure of its "Tianqin" gravitational wave research project at the coastal city of Zhuhai on Sunday. This is the second Chinese proposal initiated for the exploration of gravitational waves in addition to the highly ambitious and expensive "Taiji" program.

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The Guangdong-based Sun Yat-Sen University revealed its plan of studying the gravitational waves at a symposium on February 21 and estimated the completion of the program in about 15 to 20 years. The program aims to launch three synchronized satellites, forming an equilateral triangle to detect and observe the gravitational waves, as per Li Miao, Dean of the university's Institute of Astronomy and Space Science.

The Tianqin program is headed by Luo Jun, a physicist at the Sun Yat-Sen University. It is said to be a low-key project in terms of resources required and expenses incurred with an estimated cost of 15 billion yuan (2.3 billion U.S. dollars).

Being less expensive, the second Chinese endeavor towards studying gravitational waves will have certain limitations with regards to detection and thus will only target a particular group of stars for observation.

Situated in the southern coastal city of Zhuhai, the research building of the Tianqin project has an impressive infrastructure, spanning over 30,000 square-meters possessing a 10,000 square-meter ultra-quiet cave laboratory and a 5,000 square-meter observation station.

According to Gerhard Heinzel, an eLISA (Evolved Laser Interferometer Space Antenna) physicist, these research programs are too vast in terms of costs and resources and might be difficult for a single country to handle. Chinese researchers from the Taiji program have also hinted at the possibility of a merger with European programs like eLISA.

Wu Ji, Director-General of the Chinese Academy of Sciences' National Space Science Center, said that the two Chinese projects should be integrated, keeping in mind the cost constraints. However, no concrete information regarding a merger with either European or Chinese programs has been provided.

With the initiation of infrastructure for the Tianqin research program, it is only a matter of time before these questions are answered.

Tagschina, China Scientists, China technology, China water project, gravitational waves, gravitational wave astronomy black holes colliding merging, gravitational attraction, ELISA Test, The Chinese Academy of Sciences, Stars, space observatory