China launches meteorological satellite
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China Tuesday launched a second satellite for accurate weather forecast during the Olympics Games in August.
The spacecraft, Fengyun-3 (FY3), was shot into space by Long March-4C carrier rocket from Taiyuan Satellite Launch Centre in northern Shaanxi province, state media reported.
The 2,295-Kg satellite would provide accurate and timely information about weather changes to facilitate more precise weather forecast during the Beijing Olympic Games, the China Meteorological Administration (CMA) said.
The CMA has identified weather forecast services for the Games as "a priority" for this year as the country may face much more frequent adverse weather.
Fengyun-3 would beam back images with the highest spatial resolution of 250 metres and its temperature sensitivity would reach 0.1 degree Fahrenheit with both indices close to the most advanced level of similar satellites in the world, Gao Huoshan, General Director of the FY-3 research team, was quoted as saying by the state-run Xinhua News Agency.
The highest spatial resolution of existing satellites in China is 1.1 kilometres, according to Gao, who said the 250-m resolution images would be of vital significance for censoring global climate changes and possible subsequent natural disasters.
Carrying a bigger payload, FY-3 would provide medium-range weather forecast up to 10 to 15 days. CMA Director Zheng Guoguang said FY-3 would work with FY-2, for timely weather forecast during the Olympics.
Experts said the data collected by the satellite would not only facilitate weather forecast in China but also in other countries.
China has said it would launch another 22 meteorological satellites by 2020, including four more from the Fengyun-2 series, 12 from the Fengyun-3 series and six from Fengyun-4 series.
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