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| China to launch new earth resources satellite |
| CCTV.COM 2003-07-30 15:07:48 |
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The China National Space Administration announced today （Wednesday） that China will launch a new earth resources satellite later this year. The new satellite will be the second of two such satellites jointly developed by China and Brazil.
The National Space Administration says that the new satellite has passed all tests and will enter the launching center to be prepared for launch. Once it is in orbit, the new satellite will replace its predecessor, which was launched in 1999 from the Taiyuan Launching Center in north China's Shanxi Province. The life span of the first satellite is two years but it has been in service for nearly four years.
Like its predecessor, the new earth resources satellite will collect data on China's land resources, agriculture, deforestation, and urban planning. The satellite can cover earth with multiple－spectrum once every five days. So it is capable of observing and communicating information on the surface of the earth very quickly. More than 100 countries and regions worldwide are now using this kind of earth resources satellite.
The jointly－developed satellite will be used by China and Brazil, as well as other nations that have the approval to use the satellite and associated services. China and Brazil have now started developing the third and fourth earth resources satellites. It is expected that the third satellite will be launched in the year 2006.
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Editor: Yang Feiyang CCTV.com
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