On October 14, China successfully launched the first solar exploration science and technology test satellite "Xihe" at the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center using the Long March 2 Ding carrier rocket. The satellite will realize the world's first space exploration of solar Hα band spectral imaging, fill the gap of high-quality observation data in the source area of solar eruption, improve China's research capabilities in the field of solar physics, which is of great significance to China's space science exploration and satellite technology development, marking China's official entry into the era of "sun exploration".
At 18:51 on October 14, China successfully launched the Solar Hα Spectrum Detection and Double Super Platform Science and Technology Test Satellite with the Long March 2 Ding carrier rocket at the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center. The satellite successfully entered the predetermined orbit and the launch mission was a complete success. Xinhua News Agency (Photo by Zheng Bin)
"Xihe" is the full name of the solar Hα spectrum detection and double super platform science and technology test satellite, operating in a sun-synchronous orbit at an altitude of 517 kilometers, the main scientific payload is the solar space telescope. Hα is one of the best spectral lines for studying solar activity in response to photospheres and chromospheres, and through the analysis of this spectral line, changes in physical quantities such as atmospheric temperature and velocity during solar eruptions can be obtained, which is helpful for studying the dynamic processes and physical mechanisms of solar eruptions.
Zhao Jian, director of the Earth Observation and Data Center of the China National Space Administration and chief designer of the high-resolution Earth observation major special project, said that the "Xihe" has achieved a breakthrough in China's solar exploration, marking that China has officially entered the era of "sun exploration", which will open up a new situation in China's international cooperation and exchanges in solar exploration and greatly improve the international status of China's research in the field of solar physics.
During the orbital operation of the satellite, it will observe the performance of the photosphere and the color ball of the solar flare and the coronal material ejection, explore the dynamic characteristics and trigger mechanism of the source region of the solar eruption, and at the same time detect the color ball performance of the formation and evolution of the solar dark strip, reveal its intrinsic relationship with the solar eruption, and also obtain the all-day surface Hα band Doppler velocity distribution, study the solar low-level atmospheric dynamics process, and provide important support for solving scientific problems such as "the physical model of the whole process of solar eruption energy transmission from the inside and surface".
The satellite adopts the "double super" satellite platform design with ultra-high pointing accuracy and ultra-high stability. The platform will apply maglev technology on the rail to greatly improve the accuracy of load attitude pointing and attitude stability. In the future, the dual super platform technology will also be widely used in new generation space missions such as high-resolution detailed earth survey, large-scale stereo mapping, solar stereoscopic detection, and exoplanet discovery, boosting the leapfrog development of space science and space technology in China.
The launch successfully carried two intergovernmental cooperation microsatellites of the Asia-Pacific Space Cooperation Organization: University Student Small Satellite-1 and University Student Small Satellite-2A, which is the first satellite launched by the Asia-Pacific Space Cooperation Organization since its establishment. In addition, the launch also carried 8 commercial microsatellites.
The "Xihe" satellite launched this time and the Long March 2 Ding carrier rocket carrying out this mission were both developed by the Eighth Academy of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, and the China National Space Administration is responsible for the organization and management of satellite projects, the organization and coordination of major matters, and the approval of launch permits.
Today, with the high-density launch of rockets, the safety of the landing environment has become the focus of public attention. In order to narrow the scope of the landing area and ensure the safety of the landing area, this launch is the first performance verification test carried out by the grid rudder landing area control system on the Long March 2 Ding carrier rocket, and the attitude control of the return of a substation can achieve the goal of reducing the landing area of a sub-stage by more than 80%, making the landing point of the carrier rocket more accurate and controllable, and greatly improving the safety environment of the landing area.
Before the launch, the Press and Publicity Office of the China National Space Administration, the Eighth Academy of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, and Nanjing University also jointly organized and launched the first solar exploration science and technology test satellite name campaign, and after three links of collection, selection and expert recommendation, the name was finally named "Xihe". "Xihe" is the goddess of the sun in ancient Chinese mythology and the goddess who formulated the calendar, symbolizing the origin and expansion of China's exploration of the sun.
Xinhua News Agency reporters Hu Zhe and Liu Yangtao
Source: Xinhua Net