China and France have launched a groundbreaking spacecraft to study the universe’s most powerful explosions, known as gamma-ray bursts. The Space Variable Objects Monitor (SVOM) was sent into orbit by a Chinese rocket from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center.
![A Long March-2C rocket carrying an astronomical satellite, the Space-based Multi-band Variable Object Monitor (SVOM), blasts off from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in southwest China's Sichuan province on June 22, 2024. [Photo/Xinhua]](https://i0.wp.com/greatgameindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/China-and-France-Launch-Advanced-Satellite-To-Study-Gamma-Rays.jpeg?resize=800%2C534&ssl=1)
SVOM, created by scientists from both countries, carries advanced telescopes to capture these distant, energetic star explosions. This 930-kilogram spacecraft is the most advanced of its kind, designed to offer detailed observations of these incredible events.
Gamma-ray bursts are the brightest and most intense explosions since the Big Bang. They were first discovered by accident in 1967 by US satellites. Since then, various spacecraft have been sent to study them, but SVOM promises to provide the most comprehensive data yet.
The SVOM project, initiated in 2005, is a result of a long-term partnership between the China National Space Administration and France’s National Center for Space Studies. Scientists from both nations will operate the satellite together, analyzing data and planning further observations.
SVOM’s mission includes quickly finding and studying gamma-ray bursts, understanding their properties, exploring dark energy, and observing signals related to gravitational waves. This satellite follows a previous successful China-France collaboration, the China-France Oceanography Satellite, launched in 2018, which has significantly contributed to climate change research.
Since the United States banned NASA from working with China in 2011 due to worries about sharing technology, it is missing out on many exciting scientific discoveries.