China to launch its first solar probe in October

China will launch its first solar probe, the Advanced Space-based Solar Observatory (ASO-S), in October. The 888-kilogram satellite, scheduled to depart from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, has undergone more than five years of research and development. Designed to operate at an altitude of 720 km, the satellite will complete one sun-synchronous orbit every 90 minutes. During its projected four-year lifespan, the satellite will support catastrophic space weather forecasting by observing the solar magnetic field, solar flares and coronal mass ejections. After entering its orbit, the satellite will generate about 500GB of data daily, all of which will be shared worldwide.