With a new, ambitious project, the Chinese intend to place themselves at the forefront of space research.
The China National Aeronautics and Space Administration has just announced plans to launch an X-ray telescope to study the firmament.
The new telescope uses the same frequency range as the existing X-ray telescopes, NASA’s Chandra and ESA’s XMM-Newton. Both were launched in 1999.
Investigates closer phenomena
These telescopes are intended to examine phenomena at very great distances, including the formation of stars and nebulae.
The Chinese eXTP telescope, on the other hand, is to focus on much closer phenomena and, among other things, examine neutron stars to clarify whether they are really made of neutrons, or whether the pressure is so great that even the neutrons have split into smaller units – quarks.
Insights into fundamental physics
The leader of the project, Lu Fangjun also says that he hopes to find and study black holes – and preferably black holes that are merging.
The goals have in common to aim for a better insight into the fundamental physics that explains why matter behaves in a certain way under very unusual conditions, which are impossible to create here on earth.
The X-ray telescope EXTP
Planned space launch in 2025.
200 scientists from 20 countries are participating in the project.
The estimated cost is around 375 million euros.
