Meet the new Sino-French satellite, which will detect the most powerful explosions in the universe

Here is a look at SVOM, its features, and its mission.

But first, why study gamma-ray bursts?

GRBs are bursts of highly energetic gamma rays, which last from less than a second to several minutes. They are known to occur in distant realms of the universe, and “can erupt with a quintillion (a 10 followed by 18 zeros) times the luminosity of the Sun”, according to NASA.

There are two types of GRBs, short GRBs and long GRBs. Short GRBs are a result of the collision of either two neutron stars or a neutron star and a black hole, resulting in a black hole. They last for less than two seconds. Sometimes, short GRBs are followed by kilonovas — blasts of electromagnetic radiation (or light) that are produced by the radioactive decay of chemical elements. The decay can lead to the generation of heavier elements like gold, silver, and platinum, NASA said.

Long GRBs are produced due to the explosive deaths of massive stars. These can last for two seconds or longer.

Scientists observe GRBs as they carry information pertaining to violent events such as the end of life of massive stars, the formation of black holes in distant galaxies, and how they shape the universe.

What will SVOM do?

The primary objective of SVOM is to look for GRBs across the universe. Once found, the satellite will measure and study their electromagnetic radiation properties. It will also use the bursts to unlock mysteries regarding the evolution of the universe, and gravitational waves (scientists have observed that both gravitational waves and GRBs originate from the collision of neutron stars).

“As soon as the satellite spots traces of gamma-ray bursts, it can transmit the information to ground control within about one minute…After receiving that notification, ground control will notify ground-based observation stations across the world to use their assets to carry out integrated detection with the spacecraft,” Wei Jianyan, a scientist at the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ National Astronomical Observatories and the SVOM mission’s Chinese principal investigator, said in a statement.

“We hope that we can ‘see’ the earliest gamma-ray bursts that took place in the farthest parts of the universe, and that will help scientists learn more about the universe’s ‘childhood’ and its evolution,” he also said.

The SVOM satellite is capable of searching for kilonovas as well. “Such a detection would be of great significance to the study of stellar evolution, and to answering very interesting scientific questions such as where heavy elements like gold and silver come from in the universe,” Wei said.

What are the features of SVOM?

The 930-kg satellite consists of four payloads — two developed by the French and two by the Chinese.

The French have built the ECLAIRs and MXT telescopes, which will detect and capture the GRBs. The Gamma Ray Burst Monitor (GRB), built by the Chinese, will measure the spectrum of GRBs. The Visible Telescope (VT), also developed by the Chinese, will detect and observe visible emissions produced immediately after a GRB.

The satellite has been placed in a low earth orbit at an altitude of 625 km with an orbital period of 96 min.