China Youth Daily, Beijing, January 9 (China Youth Daily, China Youth Network reporter Qiu Chenhui) At 15:03 Beijing time on January 9, 2024, China successfully launched the Einstein probe science satellite using the Long March-2C carrier rocket at the Xichang Satellite Launch Center, and the satellite successfully entered the scheduled orbit. The Long March series of launch vehicles won the first battle, and the launch mission of the Long March 2C rocket in 2024 has made a "good start".
Launch site. Courtesy of Xichang Satellite Launch Center.
Launch site. Courtesy of Xichang Satellite Launch Center.
The Einstein probe satellite is another space science satellite developed and launched by the space science pilot project of the Chinese Academy of Sciences following the "Wukong", "Mozi", "Huiyan", "Shijian-10", "Taiji-1", "Huairou-1" and "Kuafu-1". The process of merger and merger is of great scientific significance.
The Einstein probe satellite uses astronomical time-domain observation methods to carry out high-sensitivity real-time dynamic sky survey monitoring in the soft X-ray band, systematically discovers high-energy transient and drastic objects in the universe, and monitors the activity, nature and physical processes of known celestial bodies. The Einstein probe satellite carries two payloads: a wide-field X-ray telescope and a follow-up X-ray telescope. For the first time in the world, the "lobster eye" microaperture array focused imaging technology has been used on a large scale, which can achieve an increase of 1 to 2 orders of magnitude in sensitivity and spatial resolution, and can accurately capture the distant and faint high-energy transient sources and fleeting unknown phenomena in the universe while carrying out large-field field detection. The design life of the satellite is 5 years.
It is worth mentioning that this satellite has realized the national production of space satellite electronic deflector technology. Wang Qiuliang, academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and researcher of the Institute of Electrical Engineering of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said that the research team has successfully broken through a number of core key technologies after six years of research. Before launch, the electron deflector has undergone a series of space environment simulation tests on the ground to meet the Einstein probe satellite space application standard, and the expected working life will be 10 years or more.
Schematic diagram of the in-orbit operation of the Einstein probe satellite. Courtesy of the National Astronomical Observatories of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
Li Jun, deputy chief designer of the Chang-2C rocket of the First Research Institute of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, introduced that the mission used the two-stage state basic type of the Chang-2C rocket. In 2024, the Chang-2C rocket will continue to carry out high-density launch missions, and in the face of challenges, the model team will continue to promote the generalization of product status and promote the unification of product design and process statusAdopt new technologies and processes to steadily improve product reliability, supporting efficiency and task adaptability.
According to reports, the National Space Science Center of the Chinese Academy of Sciences is responsible for the development and construction of the overall engineering and ground support systems, the Microsatellite Innovation Research Institute is responsible for the overall development of satellite systems, the National Astronomical Observatories are responsible for the development and construction of scientific application systems, the Xi'an Satellite Tracking and Control Center of China is responsible for the implementation of the tracking and control system, and the First Research Institute of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation is responsible for the development and production of launch vehicles. This launch is the 506th flight of the Long March series of launch vehicles.
*: China Youth Daily client.