China is set to launch an ambitious series of four scientific satellites, aiming to tackle some of the most profound questions in science: the origins of the universe, the genesis of life, and whether humanity is alone in the cosmos.
The program, scheduled for the country's 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-2030), was announced by the National Space Science Center (NSSC) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences during a press conference highlighting recent landmark achievements.
The four-satellite fleet will push the boundaries of human knowledge in key areas, including the cosmic "dark ages," the solar magnetic cycle, and the search for habitable exoplanets.
The first mission, named the "Hongmeng Plan," is an array of 10 low-frequency radio telescopes. They will orbit behind the Moon, a pristine radio-quiet zone, to listen for faint signals from the dawn of the universe, potentially illuminating the era before the first stars formed.
The second satellite, "Kuafu-2," will be the first to orbit directly over the Sun's poles. By staring down at the Sun's polar regions, it aims to unravel the mysteries of the solar magnetic cycle, ultimately improving our ability to predict solar storms and understand the Sun-Earth relationship.
The third satellite is an Exo-Earth Survey Satellite. Its primary mission is to systematically scan the galaxy for Earth-like planets within the habitable zones of their stars—so-called "Earth 2.0." This mission could pinpoint potential candidates for a second home for humanity.
The fourth is an enhanced X-ray Timing and Polarimetry (eXTP) space observatory. It will probe the most extreme environments in the universe, such as the edges of black holes and the surfaces of neutron stars. By studying these cosmic laboratories, it will test the laws of physics under conditions impossible to replicate on Earth.
Together, these satellites venturing into the sea of stars will contribute to China's answers to humanity's ultimate quest for knowledge.
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