Chinese Long March 11 lofts GECAM mission
December 9, 2020
On Wednesday, China launched a double satellite mission intended for research in electromagnetic counterparts of gravitational waves. The launch took place from the Xichang Satellite Center, Sichuan province, at 20:15 UTC using a Long March-11 – Chang Zheng-11 – launch vehicle.
According to the National Space Science Center under the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), the Gravitational Wave High-energy Electromagnetic Counterpart All-Sky Monitor (GECAM) mission is composed of two small satellites, and it will focus on detecting electromagnetic counterparts of gravitational waves, high-energy radiation from fast radio bursts, various gamma-ray bursts, and magnetar flares.
The mission will help scientists unravel the mysteries of compact objects, such as neutron stars and black holes, as well as the merger of binary compact objects.