A Chinese-French astronomical satellite was successfully launched to capture unpredictable gamma-ray bursts in the sky
At 15:00 on June 22, at the Xichang Satellite Launch Center, the Sino-French astronomical satellite was launched by the Long March 2C carrier rocket and then entered the predetermined orbit. The launch mission was a complete success.
The Sino-French Astronomical Satellite is a space science satellite jointly developed by China and France. It is the satellite with the strongest multi-band comprehensive observation capability of gamma-ray bursts in the world so far, and will play an important role in scientific discoveries in the field of space astronomy such as gamma-ray burst research. Gamma-ray bursts are the most violent explosion phenomenon in the universe known so far, except for the Big Bang. Gamma-ray bursts involve many fields in astrophysics, from stars, galaxies to cosmology, and are directly related to many astrophysical problems in these fields. Gamma-ray bursts are also related to many cutting-edge problems in physics. In-depth observation and research on gamma-ray bursts will help mankind solve several major problems in basic science.
The Sino-French astronomical satellite is equipped with four scientific payloads: a gamma-ray monitor and an optical telescope developed by the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and a hard X-ray camera and a soft X-ray telescope developed by the French side. The payloads are divided into two categories: large field of view and high-precision observation. The observation field of the large field of view detection instrument is about 10,000 square degrees, which is equivalent to covering a quarter of the entire sky. It is like spreading a large net to capture unpredictable gamma-ray bursts in the sky. Once the target is found, the satellite will automatically turn to the target and use two small field of view telescopes to carry out long-term high-precision observations. Through the joint detection of scientific payloads, various gamma-ray bursts can be discovered and quickly located, the electromagnetic radiation properties of gamma-ray bursts can be comprehensively measured and studied, gamma-ray bursts can be used to study dark energy and the evolution of the universe, and the electromagnetic counterparts of gravitational waves can be quickly followed up to observe, so as to understand the origin and physical properties of the gamma-ray burst phenomenon and its application in cosmology.
The National Space Administration is responsible for the organization and implementation of the Sino-French Astronomical Satellite Project, the Chinese Academy of Sciences is responsible for the overall development of the project, the National Space Science Center of the Chinese Academy of Sciences is responsible for the overall technical support and the construction of the Chinese ground support system, the Microsatellite Innovation Institute is responsible for the overall development of the satellite system, the Institute of High Energy Physics and the Xi'an Institute of Optics and Precision Mechanics are responsible for the development of the Chinese scientific payload, and the National Astronomical Observatory is responsible for the development and construction of the Chinese scientific application system. The French ground support system and scientific application system are built and operated by the French National Center for Space Studies.
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