The Japanese satellite Astro-H X-ray. – / NEWSCOM / SIPA

20 Minutes with agencies

“What are the laws of physics in extreme conditions? What has happened at the time of creation of the universe? How galaxies have they formed and evolved? How to grow black holes and what is their surrounding influence? “… These are the questions that want answering the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), to send Wednesday in the Astro-H space, an X-ray satellite” supposed to bring unprecedented response elements through images of an unknown nature. “

the unit should already have left the earth Friday, but bad weather had delayed shooting. Measuring 14 meters long and 9 wide and weighing 2.7 t, Astro-H embeds several instruments. Four will be used to study X-rays and detect two gamma rays.

The H-2A rocket, which will drop the Astro-H satellite, has had only one failure out of 29 attempts . Liftoff is scheduled at 17 h 45 (8 h 45 GMT) from the Tanegashima base in the southwest of the archipelago.

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