China and France prepare to launch satellite to hunt for gamma-ray bursts

France is set to send a pair of advanced science instruments to China in preparation for launch of a joint space observatory. The Space-based multi-band astronomical Variable Objects Monitor (SVOM) is a collaboration forged in 2014 between the China National Space Administration (CNSA) and the Centre national d’études spatiales (CNES). The satellite will be on the lookout for short-lived and extremely violent cosmic explosions known as gamma-ray bursts by detecting high-energy electromagnetic radiation in the X-ray and gamma-ray ranges. More

(Source: Space.com - Mar 6)