(Yicai Global) Jan. 11 -- China's National Development and Reform Commission, its top price setter and economic planner, has approved the construction of the world's largest fully-maneuverable radio telescope in the west of the country.

The telescope, which has a 110-meter diameter, will land in Qitai County, Changji, in Xinjiang Autonomous Region, state-backed The Paper reported, citing multiple sources. The world-class observatory will allow scientists to research gravitational waves, black holes and dark matter.

The facility can observe three quarters of the sky at high sensitivity, said Zheng Yongchun, a researcher at the National Astronomical Observatory under the Chinese Academy of Sciences. It runs from 150 megahertz to 115 gigahertz, and can meet most radio observatory requirements.

Qitai, which is surrounded by mountains and far from densely-populated towns and cities, is an ideal location for radio facilities. The high altitude, dry climate, wind speed and humidity are well-suited to large antennae.