Czech scientists, firms to join Chinese space mission eXTP

Czech scientists and companies will join a Chinese mission in space to study the state of matter under extreme conditions of density, gravity and magnetism.

Czech participation in the preparatory phase of the enhanced X-ray Timing and Polarimetry mission (eXTP) will be supported by the Ministry of Education via a CZK 12.65 million contribution to the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Prodex programme.

The team comprises scientists from the Astronomical Institute of the Czech Academy of Sciences and Silesian University in Opava in cooperation with Czech industry.

They will help design and build precision Detector and Collimator Frames to measure x-rays from the closest black holes and neutron stars.

China’s eXTP mission is due to launch no later than 2027.

Author: Brian Kenety