The Xuntian Telescope, China's groundbreaking space observatory, is designed to co-orbit with the Tiangong space station. This wide-field survey telescope,...
Xuntian, also known as the Chinese Space Station Telescope (CSST), is China's large optical space telescope designed for wide-field surveys in ultraviolet and visible light, intended to co-orbit with the Tiangong space station.
The Xuntian Telescope is currently projected to launch in 2024, embarking on its mission shortly thereafter.
Its main goals include studying dark matter and dark energy, the formation and evolution of galaxies, large-scale structure of the universe, and astronomical transient phenomena.
While Xuntian has a similar-sized primary mirror (2-meter class) to Hubble, it boasts a field of view roughly 300 times larger, allowing for much broader sky surveys over its operational lifetime.
Xuntian will operate in a co-orbiting trajectory with China's Tiangong space station, allowing for potential docking for maintenance, repairs, or refueling as needed.