China has successfully launched another advanced solar observatory. The launch of a satellite telescope called ASO-S (Advanced Space-based Solar Observatory) or Kuafu-1 (a giant from Chinese mythology that tried to “tame” the Sun) took place over the weekend on a Long March 2D rocket from the launch pad. the center of the Jiuquan satellites of northwest China.

The $126 million 860kg observatory, developed by scientists at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, has been placed into a heliosynchronous orbit 720 kilometers from Earth to constantly look at the sun 24 hours a day, according to China’s Xinhua news agency.

The aim is to study how the solar magnetic field creates massive coronal mass ejections, flares, and other solar eruptions, and to improve predictions of potentially Earth-threatening space “weather” (geomagnetic storms and other phenomena) that could affect GPS systems. , terrestrial telecommunications. satellites and electrical networks.

Astronomers know that the Sun’s magnetic field causes various explosions on its surface, but the exact mechanisms are complex and not well understood. Three scientific instruments ASO-S, which will operate at different wavelengths of the electromagnetic spectrum, will shed more light on what is happening.

The mission will last at least four years, covering the expected peak of the 11-year solar cycle in 2024-2025, when many solar flares are predicted. The ship’s data (about 500 gigabytes per day) will be freely available, and the Chinese researchers say they are open to international collaboration.

In October 2021, China launched another sun-synchronous but less advanced solar observation satellite, Xihe, located 517 kilometers from Earth. The two most famous active solar observatories are the American Space Agency’s (NASA) Solar Parker probe, launched in 2018, and the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Solar Orbiter, launched in 2020. the observatory will complement the data on the Sun and its hot and explosive atmosphere, which are collected by other space missions.

Source: RES