China's High-Definition Earth Observation Satellite Performs Well In Orbit Test

Beijing: Gaofen-1, China's first high-definition earth observation satellite, went into service and has been excellent in orbit test since it was launched on April 26, announced the State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense (SASTIND) on Monday.

During the orbit test, it improved land resources surveying, environmental monitoring, geographical mapping, precision agriculture as well as disaster and haze observing.

Developed by the China Academy of Space Technology, Gaofen 1 is equipped with a two-meter resolution CCD camera, an eight-meter resolution multiple-spectrum imager, and a sixteen-meter resolution wide-field multiple-spectrum imager, according to the SASTIND.

The wide vision and precise imaging of Garofen 1 raised efficiency on geographical mapping, said Xu Dazhe, director of the SASTIND.

Gaofen 1 also played an important part in emergency rescue during the period of rare flood in northeast China in August.

The photos taken by the satellite could tell where the flood came from and flowed to. They provided a basis for the authorities to take specific measures to fight flood and conduct rescue, said Wu Zhjian, spokesman for the SASTIND.

In addition, it also can watch over the conditions of haze which spreads across China in 2013 to provide data for research on the formation, development and dispersion of the haze.

China set up the special project for the high-definition earth observation system (HDEOS) development in 2006. It received government approval and was initiated in 2010.

According to the project, the country will establish an earth observation system capable of providing great precision in time, space and spectral aspects, and integrate it with other measures to build an observation system with all-weather, round-the-clock and global coverage.

Gaofen-1 will be followed into space by another four of five satellites before the end of 2016 to form the HDEOS, according to SASTIND, and the major users are the Ministry of Land and Resources, Ministry of Environmental Protection and Ministry of Agriculture.

 

Source: Reuters