China's Dark Matter Particle Explorer Satellite has finally taken off at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Gansu Province at 8:12 am on Thursday.

The Dark Matter Particle Explorer (DAMPE) Satellite has been labelled as "Wukong" or likewise known as Monkey King. The name was based on the main character in the Chinese classical novel Journey to the West.

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It will make its way to a sun-synchronous orbit at a height of 500 km to monitor the direction, energy and electric charge of high-energy particles in space.  

According to Xinhua news agency, the satellite was designed to engage in a three-year space mission, but scientists are hopeful that it could endure an additional two more years in space. The experts likewise anticipate the 1.9-tonne desk-sized satellite could help explain the hypothetical mass in just a short period of time.

Wukong will scan the space in all directions in the first two years and will concentrate on aspects in which dark matter are most likely to be seen.

Wukong is also known for being the first in a series of five space-science missions to show up from the Chinese Academy of Sciences' Strategic Priority Program on Space Science in 2011. Apart from seeking the dark matter, the satellite will also be used to investigate the basis of cosmic rays and analyze high-energy gamma rays.

Having a deeper understanding about dark matter could therefore present a more lucid concept about the beginnings as well as future of galaxies and the universe.

Tagsdark matter, Dark Matter Particle Explorer Satellite, DAMPE, Dark Matter Particle Explorer, Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, Gansu Province, Wukong, Monkey King, Journey to the West, sun-synchronous orbit, Chinese Academy of Sciences' Strategic Priority Program, hypothetical mass