Bird's Eye View: China Launches Remote Sensing Satellite

Bird's Eye View: China Launches Remote Sensing Satellite

China has successfully launched a remote-sensing satellite for carrying out scientific experiments and providing early alerts about natural disasters. The Yaogan XX satellite was launched at 1:45 pm local time on the back of a Long March 4C carrier rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in the northwestern Gobi desert of China according to an official statement released by the government.

The satellite will be used to carry out scientific research and conduct land surveys. The satellite will also be used to monitor crop yields and prevent as well as reduce natural disasters through adequate monitoring and tracking, according to a statement released by state-run Xinhua news agency. The launch of this satellite marked the 190th mission for the Long March rocket family in China. There has been a 4 month gap since its last orbital launch. China has successfully launched the Yaogan Weixing -20 mission from the launch centre. The launch took place from a 603 paunch pad of a LC43 launch complex using the Chang Zheng 4C launch vehicle.

The Yaogan Weixing-20 mission is composed of 3 satellites. The Chinese media has indicated that the new satellite will be a “a new remote sensing bird that will be used for scientific experiments, land survey, crop yield assessment, and disaster monitoring.” This is an important step for the Asian powerhouse to take given the natural diversity of its topography and global warming induced climate change.

This mission has been compared by some of the media reports to the Yaogan Weixing-9, the Yaogan-Weixing-16 and the Yaogan Weixing-17 with the 3 satellited flying in the formation of a NOSS System. The satellite will provide valuable information for Chinese authorities. Yaogan-9 was launched in 2010 while Yaogan-16 was launched in 2012. Yaogan-17 was launched in September 2013.

This was China's 202nd orbital launch and the 201st launch of the Long March vehicle family which marks the 65th successful orbital launch from the Jiuquan Satellite launch centre. The Yaogan Weixing-9 mission had an architecture different from the previous missions on the series launched by the Long March 4C Y5 rocket which put 3 satellites in the orbit of the earth. China's most recent remote sensing satellite follows this tradition. With better monitoring and tracking, China will be able to watch over climate change and agricultural phenomenon with ease . Technology can solve a lot of problems and the use of remote sensing satellites for weather and agricultural information can yield dividends. China has the competency to innovate and its techno-savvy researchers have achieved yet another successful satellite launch.