China launches Ziyuan-1 02E satellite

Published: 4th Jan, 2022

Context

Recently, China has launched a new satellite with a camera capable of taking photos of the ground with a resolution of five meters called “Ziyuan-1 02E” or “Five Meter 02 Optical Satellite”.

This is the 39th launch of the Longue Marche-4C rocket and the 403rd launch of the entire Long March series.

About

About the satellite

The Ziyuan-1 02E carries the same two imaging payloads:
- a high-resolution visible and near-infrared camera
- a hyperspectral imager, as well as a new long-wave infrared camera
The high-resolution camera will be able to produce images with resolutions of up to five meters (5m) when operating in panchromatic mode.
The satellite is also part of a China-Africa cooperation project called “Xiwang” (Hope) to popularize science among teenagers.
The satellite will work with the five-meter optical satellite 01 and will reduce the revisiting time of Chinese territory from three days to two days.

Ziyuan (ZN) Series

Ziyuan (meaning Resource), is a series of remote-sensing satellites which China uses to acquire high-resolution images that can be used for surveying Earth resources, disaster management, and ecological and land use monitoring.
The first Ziyuan satellite, Ziyuan-1 01, was launched in 1999 in a partnership between China and the Brazil.
Six of the nine Ziyuan satellites launched to date have been part of the China-Brazil Earth Resources Satellite (CBERS) program, with the other three – including Ziyuan-1 02E – being solely Chinese-operated.

Significance of the satellite

Better understanding of geological environment: Images taken by the satellite duo will help engineers study China’s geological environment and search for minerals.
Helpful for other fields: People working in other fields such as transport, agriculture and disaster mitigation will also receive help through the images.

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China launches Ziyuan-1 02E satellite