DAMPE

China's DAMPE (Dark Matter Particle Explorer, nicknamed Wukong) launched from Jiuquan into a sun-synchronous orbit, the country's first dedicated space science satellite, built to detect high-energy cosmic rays and gamma rays in the search for dark matter.

Outcome

Success

Orbit

SSO

Sun-synchronous orbit

Payload to orbit

1.9 T

Flight

26th

of 101 Long March 2D flights

Date and time

17 December 2015, 00:12 UTC

Rocket

Long March 2D

Builder

CASC

Launch site

Launch Area 94 (SLS-2 / 603), Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China

Payload

Astrophysics

International designator

2015-078

Launches in 2015

82nd of 87

See it in orbit

Space Atlas shows the satellites and rocket stages from this launch in 3D.

View satellites in Space Atlas↗