China launches new satellite for violent cosmic phenomena observation
XICHANG -- China on Tuesday sent a new astronomical satellite into space to observe mysterious transient phenomena in the universe which flicker like fireworks, trying to reveal more about this violent and little-known side of the cosmos.
The satellite named Einstein Probe, which uses new X-ray detection technology inspired by the functioning of a lobster eye, was launched by a Long March 2C carrier rocket at 3:03 pm (Beijing Time) from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in Southwest China's Sichuan province.
Weighing about 1.45 tonnes and as large as a full-size SUV, the satellite is shaped like a lotus in full bloom and features 12 petals and two stamens.
"This is the most beautiful satellite I've ever seen," said Yuan Weimin, principal investigator of the EP mission and a researcher at the National Astronomical Observatories of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS).
The 12 "petals" are actually 12 modules consisting of wide-field X-ray telescopes (WXT), while the two "stamens" consist of two modules of follow-up X-ray telescopes (FXT).
