我國將於11月發射全世界首顆脈衝星導航試驗衛星

The China Academy of Space Technology has announced plans to launch the world's first X-ray pulsar navigation satellite (XPNAV－1) in November, Xinhua reported.

據新華社報道，中國空間技術研究院已經宣佈，計劃將於11月份發射全球首顆X射線脈衝星導航衛星（XPNAV－1）。

The move brings autonomous spacecraft navigation and a more precise deep-space GPS one step closer to reality.

這一舉措將使得航天器自主導航、以及更加準確的深度空間GPS定位進一步接近現實。

X-ray pulsar navigation is an innovative navigation technique wherein periodic X-ray signals emitted from pulsars are used to determine the location of a spacecraft in deep space.

X射線脈衝星導航是一種創新性的導航技術，其中脈衝射電源可以發出週期性的X射線信號，可以用來在深度空間中確定航天器的位置。

Current ground-based navigation methods are limited by the time delay between spacecraft and the Earth.

由於航天器和地面接收器之間的時間延遲，目前的地面導航技術受到了極大的限制。

However, for certain type of pulsars, called "millisecond pulsars," pulses of radiation occur with the regularity and precision of an atomic clock.

但是使用被稱之爲“毫秒脈衝射電源”的裝置，脈衝輻射可以具有和原子鐘一樣的規律性和精度。

As a result, in some scenarios, the pulsar X-ray can take less time to estimate a location. This leads to more precise measurements of a spacecraft's location.

因此，在某些情況之下，X射線脈衝射電源可以用更少的時間來估測物體的位置。這就導致了對航天器位置的更精確測量。

However, since X-rays from pulsars are absorbed by the atmosphere, scientists must launch satellites to continue research of the new technology.

然而，由於脈衝射電源發出的X射線能夠被大氣所吸收，所以科學家們必須發射衛星來對這一新技術繼續進行研究。

According to Shuai Ping, chief scientist behind the research of XPNAV-1 satellite, the key aim of this satellite is to detect the details of X-ray signals of 26 nearby pulsars, and to create a "pulsar navigation database."

據XPNAV-1衛星研究項目首席科學家帥平表示，這顆衛星的主要目的是要檢測地球附近26顆脈衝星的X射線信號詳細信息，建立一個“脈衝導航數據庫”。

This target could be achieved within five to 10 years, Shuai estimates.

據帥平估計，這一目標可以在5到10年之間完成。