China successfully launched the Advanced Space-based Solar Observatory (ASO-S) atop a Long March 2D rocket from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region on October 9.
ASO-S is nicknamed Kuafu-I after a mythological ancient giant called Kuafu who tried to chase the sun, and although Kuafu died in the attempt, his actions have become a symbol of bravery. The Chinese Academy of Sciences launched the ASO-S project in 2017, which aims to study solar physics, including the solar magnetic field and the two most violent explosions seen from the sun, solar flares and coronal mass ejections which can damage Earth systems such as power grids and GPS communications, as well as the relationship between them.
Running on a sun-synchronous orbit 720 kilometers above Earth, the ASO-S carries a full-disc vector MagnetoGraph, a Lyman-alpha Solar Telescope and an X-ray Imager. The satellite has a designed life of four years.
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