China will build an “Earth 2.0” observatory to search for and study exoplanets. The aim is to try to find Earth-like planets in the region of sun-like stars. The Earth 2.0 (ET) project, proposed by the Shanghai Astronomical Observatory of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, involves using six 28-centimeter wide-angle optical telescopes to observe about two million stars in the Kepler mission’s star field and other large star fields in nearby regions.

It plans to continuously monitor the transits of the “external worlds” for four years. The mission is scheduled to launch in 2028, according to a new paper published in the journal China Space Science.

The spacecraft will go to the Lagrange 2 point of the Sun-Earth system, where the James Webb Orbital Observatory is currently operating. This will allow it to maintain a stable orbit and provide excellent views of distant space.