In October 2022, China will launch a new ASO-S space observatory (Advanced Space-based Solar Observatory). It will study the Sun, its magnetic field, flares, coronal mass ejections and other processes associated with the beginning of the 25th cycle of activity. This is stated in an announcement published by the National Center for Space Science.
The weight of the ASO-S will be 888 kg. It will receive a set of three scientific instruments: a Full-disk Vector MagnetoGraph, a Hard X-ray Imager and a Lyman-alpha Solar Telescope. The spacecraft will be launched into a 720-kilometer sun-synchronous orbit by the Long March 2D rocket.
Chinese scientists hope that ASO-S will be able to record in detail the process of increasing the number of spots and storms associated with the entry of the Sun into the 25th cycle of activity. The device will be able to generate up to 500 gigabytes of data per day. All the information collected by it and the software for their analysis will be open and available to users around the world. The nominal service life of the ASO-S should be 4 years.
It is worth noting that in the near future ASO-S will get its own name. The project management announced a competition among the Internet users of the Celestial Empire for the name of the new observatory. It will last from July 11 to 24.
Recall that China has announced plans to launch an asteroid deflection mission in 2026.
According to http://www.china.org.cn
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