IV. Research on Space ScienceChina research on space science focuses on scientific questions such as the origin and evolution of the universe, and the relations
Chinese space programme was initiated in 1956, when the country’s first rocket research institution was founded. It launched its first rocket into space on 19 July 1964.
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A Long March 11 rocket lifts off from the Xichang space base with the GECAM mission. Credit: CAS
Two small Chinese satellites designed to detect gamma-ray bursts associated with gravitational waves launched Wednesday on a Long March 11 rocket, beginning an astrophysics research mission to study black holes and neutron stars.
The Gravitational Wave High-energy Electromagnetic Counterpart All-sky Monitor, or GECAM, mission was developed by the Chinese Academy of Sciences on a rapid timeline of a little more than two years.
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A new Chinese space mission will watch for gamma ray bursts from merging neutron stars. UNIVERSITY OF WARWICK/MARK GARLICK/WIKIMEDIA COMMONS (CC BY 4.0)
China launches gamma ray–hunting satellites to trace sources of gravitational waves
Dec. 10, 2020 , 10:35 AM
The China National Space Administration’s Chang’e-5 mission, set to return Moon rocks to Earth next week, has grabbed headlines around the world. But China’s other space agency, the science-focused National Space Science Center (NSSC) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), is making news of its own: Just after 4 a.m. local time today it launched its Gravitational Wave High-energy Electromagnetic Counterpart All-sky Monitor (GECAM) from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in Sichuan province.