Flying High: China Launches Hi-Tech High Resolution Observation Satellite
Flying High: China Launches Hi-Tech High Resolution Observation Satellite
China has hit the high note with a 19th August launch of the new high-resolution observation satellite. Gaofen-2(GF-2) was launched at 3:15 TUC by the Long March-4B (Chang Zheng-4B) rocket from the LC-9 launch complex at the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center.
Gaofen stands for “high resolution” in Chinese and these satellites are part of the China National Space Administration. Gaofen satellites are of a high resolution and they are optical Earth observation satellites. The civilian High-Definition Earth Observation Satellite program was proposed in the year 2006 and it was approved by the government and initiated in 2010.
China is planning to launch 6 Gaofen satellites between the years 2013 and 2016. The first satellite Gaofen-1 was launched on April 26 in the year 2013. This satellite was launched by Long-March 2D/Y18 from the launch centre known as Jiuquan Satellite launch.
The Gaofen series is being employed to provide near real-time observations for relief and disaster prevention. Apart from this, the satellite will also provide climate change monitoring as well as geographical mapping. Environment and resource surveying are also critical and the satellite will attempt to provide precision agriculture support.
The satellites will be used by the Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Land and Resources as well as the Ministry of Environmental Protection. In the year 2010, the Chinese government provided approval for the China high-resolution Earth Observation System/CHEOS. This is an extension of the program devoted to the High Definition Earth Observation Satellite. The CHEOS series consists of 7 optical or microwave satellites.
The CHEOS program comprises the elements of the spaceborne system. This is a nears-space system as well as the aerial system. Also included are the ground system as well as the application system for the realisation of the Earth observation at high spatial, temporal and spectral resolution.
The CHEOS satellite series will be implemented in the development period between the years 2010 and 2020. Following the launch of the GF-2 in this year, the next 3 satellites will be launched by the year 2016. GF-2 uses a CS-L3000A bus and it produces black and white images with ground sampling distance of around 80 centimetres.
The satellite also produces images of around 3.2 meters in color. The images have a swath width of 48 kilometers. The satellite can swivel 35 degrees on its axis on either side. With plenty of hi-tech help, China is set to counter nature's challenges at last.
