This was reported by Xinhua, according to Ukrinform’s report.

The spacecraft was launched into Earth orbit aboard the Long March-2C launch vehicle, launched at 15:03 local time (09:03 Kiev time) from the Xichang Cosmodrome in the southwestern province of Sichuan.

The “Einstein Probe” weighs approximately 1.45 tons and is shaped like a blooming lotus flower with 12 “petals” and two “stamens.” “Petals” are 12 modules installed on wide-field X-ray telescopes WXT (wide-field X-ray telescopes), and “stamens” include modules of control X-ray telescopes FXT (tracking X-ray telescopes).

Both types of telescopes are designed specifically for this task and use the new Lobster Eye X-ray detection technology, which was created based on research into the workings of the sea lobster’s eye. The technology has been under development by Chinese scientists since 2010 and was successfully tested in 2022 to produce the first wide-field X-ray sky maps.

It is assumed that thanks to the simultaneous operation of the WXT and FXT telescopes it will be possible to observe various sources of cosmic X-ray radiation over a long period of time and to better understand how they transform. In particular, scientists expect to capture the first radiation emerging from supernova explosions, find and precisely identify the X-ray signals accompanying the decay of gravitational waves, as well as detect dormant black holes and other celestial objects in distant space.

The developers of the satellite said that they named the satellite after the great scientist because the existence of black holes and gravitational waves that he would investigate were predicted by Einstein’s theory of general relativity.

The algorithm of the X-ray research module assumes that the WXT constantly observes the space and, after capturing the X-ray signals, transmits them to the onboard computer, which immediately processes the data and returns it to target the spacecraft. celestial body (radiation source) FXT. This telescope is expected to make high-precision observations of the radiation source and provide researchers with data for further analysis.

During the preparation of the mission, the team of scientists also developed special high-precision CMOS sensors, which are innovative X-ray astronomical detectors for X-ray observation in space.

As reported by Ukrinform, China launched four Tianmu-1 meteorological satellites into space on January 5. This mission was China’s first space launch in the new year.

Photo: “Xinhua”