What Chinese space telescope, also known as the Chinese space station telescope, is expected to launch in late 2026 to survey enormous regions of the sky?

The Chinese Space Station Telescope (Deals), known as Xuntian, which translates to "surveying the heavens," is an ambitious upcoming observatory designed to conduct extensive surveys of the universe. Expected to launch in late 2026 or early 2027, this powerful instrument will play a crucial role in China's space exploration endeavors. Its primary mission is to map enormous regions of the sky, gathering vast amounts of data to help scientists unravel some of the cosmos's deepest mysteries.

While Xuntian features a 2-meter primary mirror, slightly smaller than that of the venerable Hubble Space Telescope, its strength lies in its extraordinary field of view, which is approximately 300 to 350 times larger than Hubble's. This allows Xuntian to capture panoramic, high-resolution images of the universe across near-ultraviolet to near-infrared wavelengths with its 2.5-billion-pixel camera. A unique aspect of its operation is its ability to co-orbit with China's Tiangong space station, enabling periodic docking for maintenance, repairs, and potential upgrades, thereby extending its operational lifespan beyond a typical unserviceable telescope.

Over its planned 10-year mission, Xuntian aims to survey up to 40% of the sky. The scientific objectives are far-reaching, encompassing studies in cosmology, galaxy evolution, the formation of stars and planets, and the enigmatic phenomena of dark matter and dark energy. By providing a wide-field perspective with high resolution, Xuntian is poised to significantly advance our understanding of the universe's large-scale structure and fundamental processes, marking a major milestone in space astronomy.