Sunseeker's quest for meaningful data

China's sun observation satellite Kuafu-1 launched into space from Jiuquan in Northwest China's Gansu province on Sunday, setting off on a journey to uncover the mysteries of the star closest to human kind.

While we are familiar with the moon, little is known about the sun. However, some have raised questions why we need to study this star in the first place. The sun played a major role in the Earth's formation. The sun's influence and impact on the Earth can never be exaggerated. Strong solar flares can affect the Earth's wireless communication, while its coronal mass ejections could affect navigations on the Earth.

By studying the sun, it might be possible for us to better prepare ourselves to minimize losses from the negative impact of the sun. While our atmosphere protects us from the sun's ultraviolet rays, it also makes it difficult to observe the sun from the Earth. That's why a sun observation satellite will be in a better position to get clearer data from the sun.

Kuafu-1 will operate at an orbit 720 kilometers from Earth and it will spend 96 percent of its time recording data from the sun. It can transmit around 500 gigabytes of data back to the Earth daily, enough to fill up the hard disk of an ordinary personal computer, providing Chinese and other researchers with ample data to study the laws governing the sun, which has been supporting life on Earth.

In China there is a legend of a giant called Kuafu who ran after the sun and died on his quest. Forests with civilizations spawned where the giant fell. This time the story is going to be different. The Kuafu-1 satellite will benefit people with the knowledge it transmits, setting a glorious example of technology serving the public.