China successfully launches its first dark matter satellite

Carrier Long March 2-D rocket blasts off, sending into space the country's first Dark Matter Particle Explorer Satellite at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Gansu province, Dec 17, 2015. [Photo/Xinhua]

Facts about the dark matter satellite

Size: 1.5m*1.5m*1.2m

Weight: 1.85 metric ton

Orbit: 500-kilometer sun-synchronous orbit

Design life: 3 years

Source: National Space Science Center, Chinese Academy of Sciences