[5][6] Nan Rendong was a researcher at National Astronomical Observatory of China, and he was the founder, Chief Scientist and the Chief Engineer of the Five hundred meter Aperture Spherical Telescope (FAST) in China.

[4][7] He was an IAU member, where he was the Vice-President of Division X (Radio Astronomy) and Commission 40 (Radio Astronomy) from 2003 to 2006, and then the President of both the division and commission in 2006–2009.

[4] Nan Rendong died from lung cancer in Boston on 15 September 2017.

[8] The official naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 25 September 2018 (M.P.C.

[9] He was granted the titles "Model of our Times" and "Reform Pioneer" for his contribution.