Africa-Press – Eritrea. China has successfully launched its first solar observatory, nicknamed Kuafu-1, after a giant in Chinese mythology who wished to capture and tame the Sun, the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) informs.
The launch was carried out on Sunday, at 7.43 a.m. local time (23:43 GMT on Saturday), from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwestern China, using the Long March-2D carrier rocket, CASC said. Kuafu-1, or the Advanced Space-based Solar Observatory (ASO-S), entered its planned orbit successfully, according to CASC.
Kuafu-1 will observe the Sun from an orbit 720 kilometers (447 miles) above Earth’s surface and will help study how the Sun’s magnetic field creates its energetic emissions. The mission is expected to last four years.
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