Chinese Satellite launched into space in 2015 to explore dark matter has detected 1.6 billion particles.
Scientists will now have to analyse the information gathered to try to understand what makes some matter five times more abundant than which is visible – composed of atoms – and thought to form the greater part of the universe.
Scientists established the existence of dark matter in the 1970’s due to its gravitational effects on visible matter although their knowledge about it is very scarce.
The satellite called Wukong was launched on December 17, 2015 and after almost a year in operation is currently in orbit at an altitude of 504 km, developing its operations normally.
This satellite includes a space telescope – China’s first – which notes the direction, power and electrical load of high-energy space particles.
Another Launch:
China also successfully launched into space a new meteorological satellite, Yunhai-1, from Jiuquan base in the Gobi desert, aboard the Long March-2D rocket.
This satellite, developed by the Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology, will be dedicated to atmospheric, marine and space observation, prevention of meteorological disasters along with carrying out scientific experiments.
