The Space Variable Objects Monitor (SVOM) detected a gamma-ray burst on the morning of June 27, shortly after its Gamma-ray Burst Monitor was activated for testing. The satellite also observed two additional gamma-ray bursts on June 29 and July 2. The data from these observations has been transmitted to the General Coordinates Network, an international platform for astronomy research.
Gamma-ray bursts are extremely energetic explosions occurring in distant galaxies. They represent the most intense electromagnetic events since the Big Bang.
Before these detections, the satellite completed in-orbit tests and established real-time connections with over 40 ground communication stations. All four mission payloads successfully passed their power-on tests, according to the academy.
Wei Jianyan, a scientist at the CAS' National Astronomical Observatories and the SVOM mission's Chinese principal investigator, stated, "Other mission payloads on the satellite are still being fine-tuned and will undergo scientific capability tests. If the results are satisfactory, then we can expect exciting findings by the satellite in its ensuing operations."
The SVOM project began in 2005 as a long-term collaboration between the China National Space Administration and France's National Center for Space Studies. Scientists and engineers from multiple institutes, including the Research Institute in Astrophysics and Planetology in Toulouse, France, and the Institute of High Energy Physics in Beijing, participated in the project.
The SVOM is equipped with small telescopes and was placed in low-Earth orbit by a Chinese Long March 2C carrier rocket launched on June 22 from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in Sichuan province.
The 930-kilogram satellite was constructed by the CAS' Innovation Academy for Microsatellites in Shanghai and carries four scientific instruments: the ECLAIRs coded mask camera and the Microchannel X-ray Telescope from French scientists, and the Gamma-ray Burst Monitor and the Visible Telescope from the Chinese team.
According to the China National Space Administration, the SVOM is the most advanced satellite built for multiband comprehensive observation of gamma-ray bursts and is expected to significantly contribute to space-based astronomical exploration.
The mission's primary scientific goals include searching for and rapidly pinpointing various gamma-ray bursts; studying their electromagnetic radiation properties; using these bursts to investigate dark energy and the evolution of the universe; and observing electromagnetic signals associated with gravitational waves.
Related Links
SVOM
Stellar Chemistry, The Universe And All Within It
| Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters |
| Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters |
