This Chinese navigation satellite will conduct experiments using unique detectors – Read

Zee Media Bureau

New Delhi: Chinese authorities on Thursday launched a navigation satellite which will conduct experiments using pulsar detectors to display new technologies.

The X-ray pulsar navigation satellite, which weighs more than 200 kilogrammes, was launched from the Jiuquan satellite launch centre in the country's northwest.

It was carried by a Long March-11 rocket, the 239th flight mission by a Long March carrier rocket series.

While in orbit, the satellite will undergo tests on its detector functions and space environment adaptability.

The satellite and the rocket were designed by academies affiliated with the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

The X-ray pulsar navigation will help reduce the spacecraft's reliance on ground-based navigation methods and is expected to lead to autonomous spacecraft navigation in the future.

(With PTI inputs)