Xinjiang Astronomical Observatory
Profile
| Official Chinese name | 中国科学院新疆天文台 |
|---|---|
| Official English name | Xinjiang Astronomical Observatory of the Chinese Academy of Sciences |
| Chinese aliases | 新疆天文台, 中国科学院乌鲁木齐人造卫星观测站, 中国科学院乌鲁木齐天文站, 中国科学院国家天文台乌鲁木齐天文站 |
| English aliases | Man‑made Satellite Ground Station of CAS, Urumqi Astronomical Observatory, Joint Institute of National Astronomical Observatory |
| Acronyms | XAO |
| Research fields | Pulsar radiation characteristics and gravitational wave detection, star formation and evolution, galactic cosmology, astrochemistry, high-energy astrophysics, optical time-domain astronomy and wide-field surveys, solar physics, space objects and debris, astronomical techniques and methods |
| Total employee count | 182 (as of December 2024) |
Summary
Xinjiang Astronomical Observatory is categorised as a Limited Defence Partner based on the following indicators:
- Defence advisor
- 1 indicator
- Defence award
- 2 indicators
- Defence funding
- 2 indicators
- Defence laboratory
- 1 indicators
- Military-technology patent
- 3 indicators
- Research collaboration with defence entities
- 3 indicators
A limited defence partner contributes to the development of China’s defence capabilities in ways that are limited in time, frequency, scope or scale. Evidence indicates that participation has either ceased or if it persists, it is narrow in scope, not institutionalised and occurs through isolated or infrequent activities led by individual researchers, rather than through sustained programmes or organisational commitments.
Rules-based framework
| Rule | Resulting category |
|---|---|
| Two or more indicators = 4 | Core defence partner |
| One indicator = 4 and two indicators = 3 or Three or more indicators = 3 | Regular defence partner |
| One indicator = 4 and one indicator = 3 and all other indicators = 1 or 2 or Two indicators = 3 and all other indicators = 1 or 2 | Limited defence partner |
| All indicators between 0 and 2 | Civilian institute |
| Three or more indicators = 0 | Insufficient data |
Note: All indicators operate on a 0 to 4 scale. There are a total of six indicators.
For more information on the graded scales see the user guide.
Defence advisory roles
Members of the leadership of the Xinjiang Astronomical Observatory have probably not served on defence-related expert committees. However, because the underlying data are incomplete, this assessment is made with medium confidence, and such service by members not surveyed cannot be fully ruled out.
Defence awards
Available information indicates that Xinjiang Astronomical Observatory researchers and projects have received at least two separate defence awards over time. These include one 2015 Honorary Certificate for Outstanding Contribution to the Re-entry and Return Flight Test Mission of the Third Phase of the Lunar Exploration Programme and one 2019 National Defence Science and Technology Progress Award.[1]
While it is known that researchers and projects linked to the Xinjiang Astronomical Observatory have received defence awards prior to 2021, there were almost certainly no awards granted in recent years. As the data reviewed is thorough, recent and covers a significant portion of relevant staff, this assessment is made with high confidence.
Defence funding
Between 2021 and 2025, researchers from the Xinjiang Astronomy Observatory authored one publication funded by Chinese defence entities, placing the institute in the 2nd percentile among the CAS institutes included in this analysis. Of the 532 authors affiliated with the Xinjiang Astronomy Observatory who published during this period, one (⟨1 per cent) had at least one defence-funded publication. However, it is not possible to attribute specific funding to individual researchers based solely on publication data.
Defence laboratories
No publicly available information suggests that this institute hosts or is affiliated with any known defence laboratories. The Chinese language laboratory websites do not mention any links or references to defence-related activities.
Military-technology patents
Between 2021 and 2025, the Xinjiang Astronomy Observatory was granted 7 military-technology patents, placing it in the 76th percentile among the CAS institutes included in this analysis. A total of 47 inventors affiliated with the Xinjiang Astronomy Observatory were listed on these patents.
Research collaboration with defence entities
Between 2021 and 2025, researchers from the Xinjiang Astronomy Observatory co-authored 251 publications with at least one Chinese defence entity, placing the institute in the 35th percentile among the CAS institutes included in this analysis.
These collaborations include three publications with PLA academic institutions, 242 with defence laboratories, eight with members of the Seven Sons of National Defence and four with members of the Seven Sons of Ordnance Industry.
Of the 532 authors affiliated with the Xinjiang Astronomy Observatory who published during this period, 290 (55 per cent) had at least one defence-related collaboration.
Return to directoryNotes
All cited web content was viewed at its original website location; however, to ensure ongoing accessibility we are providing links to Internet Archive versions here.
- Xinjiang Astronomical Observatory. 2025. 'Senior Experimenter: Yang Wenjun.' [高级实验师：杨文军]. As of 8 April 2026.Return to content⤴ Xinjiang Astronomical Observatory. 2024. 'Awards.' [获奖]. As of 8 April 2026.