China will launch its first comprehensive solar probe, the Advanced Space-based Solar Observatory, in October, opening a new chapter in the country's exploration of the sun, according to the National Astronomical Observatories of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
From Monday to July 24, the research institute is gathering suggestions from the public for names to give the milestone instrument, which weighs 888 kilograms and will operate in a synchronous orbit of the sun at around 720 kilometers.
The satellite is equipped with three payloads, namely the All-Solar Vector Magnetic Imager, the Lyman Alpha Solar Telescope and the Solar Hard X-ray Imager. It is the culmination of over five years of work by Chinese scientists and engineers and is set to operate for more than four years.
Its goal is to study solar flares and coronal mass ejections, two of the most violent phenomena on the sun, as well as examining the star's magnetic field. These undertakings will yield valuable insights on severe space weather critical for the safe operation of instruments in orbit and electronic infrastructure on the ground.
Although the sun is about 150 million kilometers from Earth, its activities can generate high-energy particles that fly across space, many of which can reach Earth's atmosphere and affect a variety of technological systems.
In October 2003, the planet saw some of the most powerful solar storms in history that disrupted aircraft, research satellites and global positioning systems, later dubbed the Halloween Storms of 2003. (chinadaily.com.cn)
China's first solar probe, Advanced Space-based Solar Observatory (ASO-S), is scheduled to be launched into space in the first half of 2022, marking the country's first-ever mission to "touch" the sun. The satellite will operate in a sun-synchronous orbit 720 km above Earth to keep a close tab on the sun 24 hours a day. Measuring about 1,000 kg in total mass, the satellite is expected to orbit the sun for at least four years, according to the Purple Mountain Observatory of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
China will launch its first solar probe, the Advanced Space-based Solar Observatory (ASO-S), in October. The 888-kilogram satellite, scheduled to depart from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, has undergone more than five years of research and development. Designed to operate at an altitude of 720 km, the satellite will complete one sun-synchronous orbit every 90 minutes.
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