A retrievable scientific research satellite is set to be launched by Chinese scientists in the first half of 2016, researchers with the project announced on Thursday, July 23, the Xinhua News Agency reported.
Hu Wenrui, the project chief, said that the satellite, the SJ-10, will conduct research in "microgravity and space life science" that will provide scientific knowledge and support to manned space missions and space scientists on Earth.
Hu told Xinhua that all the key components of the satellite have been tested and found to be functioning well. The satellite is expected to launch from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Gansu Province.
According to the researchers, the satellite will carry out 19 experiments in six fields that include microgravity combustion, microgravity biological effect, microgravity fluid physics, space material science, space radiation effect, and space biological techniques.
The researchers said that eight experiments in fluid physics will be conducted in the orbital module, while the other experiments will be conducted in the re-entry capsule, which is programmed to return to Earth after 12 days in orbit. The orbital module, however, will keep orbiting for three more days, the researchers added.
Huang Chenguang, vice head of the Institute of Mechanics with the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), said that the SJ-10, the second satellite in a space studies program, consists of five scientific satellites.
The SJ-10 project was a cooperative effort of 11 institutes of the CAS and six Chinese universities in collaboration with the European Space Agency and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency.
The first satellite of the space studies program is an explorer satellite that will probe dark matter particle. It is expected to be launched by the end of this year.
A satellite for quantum science experiments and a hard X-ray telescope for black hole and neutron star studies is also planned to be launched within the next two years.