China successfully launched a new astronomical satellite on Tuesday, which is aimed at better understanding the mysterious transient phenomena in the universe. The satellite, dubbed Einstein Probe (EP), was launched from the Xichang Satellite Launch Centre in Sichuan Province and is using new X-ray detection technology inspired by the functioning of a lobster eye. The satellite, weighing about 1.45 tonnes and shaped like a lotus in full bloom, will be helping scientists capture the first light stemming from supernova explosions, searching for and pinpointing X-ray signals accompanying gravitational wave events, and discovering dormant black holes and other faint transient and variable celestial objects at the far reaches of the universe.

Yuan Weimin, principal investigator of the EP mission and a researcher at the National Astronomical Observatories of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) expressed his excitement and called the satellite "the most beautiful satellite I've ever seen." The satellite features 12 'petals' which consist of wide-field X-ray telescopes (WXT), and two 'stamens' with two modules of follow-up X-ray telescopes (FXT). The WXT can monitor one-twelfth of the sky at a time, and the FXT's high sensitivity and ability to independently identify explosive and transient sources make it ideal for quick follow-up observations, according to Chen Yong, a researcher at the Institute of High Energy Physics of the CAS.

The mission, in which The European Space Agency and the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics in Germany are also participating, is expected to conduct a high-cadence survey and monitoring of high-energy transient sources, search for cloaked black holes, and study their formation and evolution. The satellite will also be used to search for X-ray signals accompanying gravitational wave events and to pinpoint them, in addition to studying neutron stars, white dwarfs, supernovae, and gamma-ray bursts.