Correct Answer : China
China has planned to launch a new space-based solar observatory to study the relationship between the solar magnetic field, solar flares and coronal mass ejections (CMEs). Targeted for launch this October, the observatory is currently under the naming process initiated by the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS). A report by CGTN revealed that the CAS is accepting names from all across the globe.
About the new Chinese solar observatory : The Advanced Space-Based Solar Observatory (ASO-S), which weighs around 888 kg, would be the first platform to have three payloads on board. CGTN revealed that these payloads are the Full-disk vector MagnetoGraph (FMG), the Lyman-α Solar Telescope (LST) and the Hard X-ray Imager (HXI). Planned for installment at an altitude of 720 km, the observatory would complete one orbit around the Earth every 90 minutes in a sun-synchronous orbit.
Notably, the
ASO-S is a successor of the
H-alpha Solar Explorer (CHASE) named "
Xihe", which was launched in October 2021 to study the violent and sudden physical processes behind solar flares. As for the observatory's lifespan, it will be operational for four years, one more than the Xihe observatory named after the sun goddess in ancient Chinese mythology..
Source : Republicworld
