Scientists voice expectations of China's new space telescope

Filippo Frontera, a professor of the University of Ferrara and an associate scientist of Italy's National Institute of Astrophysics in Bologna, said the satellite will be a useful vehicle for the advancement of the high-energy astrophysics in China.

"The Chinese space program is very impressive. I expect that, with this program, China can become a leader in space science with great scientific and economic returns. Indeed, foreseen space missions require the development of new high-level technologies that can be later exploited in different fields, like medical physics, information technology, and so on," said Frontera.

Arvind Parmar, head of the Scientific Support Office in the Science Directorate of European Space Agency (ESA), said HXMT will study X-rays from objects such as black holes, neutron stars and the remains of exploded stars. These are exciting topics for scientists all over the world. HMXT will join X-rays satellites already in operation. Each mission has its own strengths.

He said the ESA has a long history of collaborating with China on scientific missions. Once HXMT is launched and starts making observations, there is great potential for joint investigations with some ESA missions. Many scientific investigations benefit from data from more than one satellite.

"I am really impressed with how China is developing its scientific space program. The recent launches of the Dark Matter Particle Explorer and the Quantum Experiments at Space Scale missions highlight Chinese capabilities and commitment to science as does the range of missions under study for future launch opportunities," said Parmar.

Andrea Santangelo, a scientist at the Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics of Germany's University of Tubingen, said HXMT will have profound implications for the development of high-energy astrophysics in China. Being a national program with an international flavor, it will put China among the lead nations in X-ray astrophysics and space science.

As has happened for other nations, the know-how acquired during its development and the knowledge that will emerge from the analysis of the data will allow future generations of scientists to play a key role in understanding the universe at high energy, said Santangelo.

"HXMT will focus on the bright sources emitting X-rays. In particular, the mission capability of studying a broad band of energies will allow us to study the behavior of very exotic objects in the universe. Thanks to the broadband coverage of HXMT, we will see many aspects of the emission of objects in the X-rays. If one wants to study an elephant, one does not just look at its proboscis or its tail. We want to see and measure the proboscis, the tail and the body," Santangelo said.

Paolo Giommi, a senior scientist at the Italian Space Agency, said China's space science program foresees several satellites of increasing complexity and competitiveness. Together with the construction of large ground-based facilities, this will make China one of the major definitive producers of knowledge in space science.

Jonathan E. Grindlay, a professor at the Harvard Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, said China is making rapid scientific progress in its space program. HXMT will be an important extension of high-energy astrophysics from space, and will complement other missions currently in operation as well as those being planned."