China wants to launch its own Hubble-class telescope as part of space station
China could launch the first module for its own space station this month as the country also prepares to send a large space telescope to join it in orbit within the next few years.
The Chinese Space Station Telescope (CSST), which is set to launch in 2024, will operate as a space optical observatory for Chinese scientists to carry out sky surveys, according to Xinhua.The telescope, sometimes called "Xuntian," which literally translates to "survey the heavens," will have an impressive 6.6-foot (2 meters) diameter lens, making it comparable to the Hubble Space Telescope. However, it boasts a field of view 300 times greater than that of 31-year-old Hubble while retaining a similar resolution.
The wide field of view will allow the telescope to observe up to 40 percent of the sky over ten years using a huge 2.5 billion pixel camera.Notably, the telescope will co-orbit Earth along with the Chinese space station and will be able to periodically dock with the future crewed outpost.
China has completed moon sample return mission 6 months ago, just landed a Rover on Mars which is now busy surveying the Red Planet up close and personal, has put the core module of the space station into orbit and waiting for the next module to be launched very soon. In 2024 the Hubble telescope will have a Chinese companion. So here's the big question, has China finally caught up with India?
