Chinese, French space teams get gamma-ray burst hunter ready for December lift-off
- SVOM satellite aimed at observing the most violent cosmic explosions is the result of Sino-French joint project launched in 2014
- Featuring two advanced telescopes from each country, SVOM is the most powerful space hunter of its kind after Nasa’s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory
The Space-based multi-band astronomical Variable Objects Monitor (SVOM), a project launched by the Chinese and French national space agencies in 2014, is expected to lift-off on board a Long March 2C rocket from China’s Xichang spaceport in late December.
Once it enters into orbit, the satellite will look out for the most violent explosions in the universe – known as gamma-ray bursts.
As the most powerful gamma-ray burst hunter after Nasa’s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory, SVOM is equipped with four state-of-the-art instruments – two built in France and two in China.
The pair built by the French team over the past five years arrived in Shanghai last month.
They will be assembled onto the satellite platform together with the two Chinese-made ones, and undergo overall testing before heading to the launch pad at the Xichang Satellite Launch Centre in October.
“Our job now is to make sure that all equipment on-board the satellite operates properly together, and that they can survive severe environmental conditions such as vibrations during the launch,” François Gonzalez, the mission’s French project manager, said.