China launched Gaofen-4 dual-use Geostationary satellite

On 29 December 2015, China successfully launched Gaofen-4 Earth observation satellite toward a geostationary orbit from the Xichang Satellite Launch Centre in the south-western province of Sichuan. The satellite was launched aboard a Long March-3B carrier rocket. Launched as a part of the China High-resolution Earth Observation System (CHEOS), Gaofen-4 is located at the orbit 36000 kilometres away from the earth and moves synchronously with the earth.

Highlights:

Ø  It can see an oil tanker on the sea with a huge CMOS camera, reaching the best imaging level among global high-orbit remote sensing satellites.

Ø  It will be used for disaster prevention and relief, surveillance of geological disasters and forest disasters, and meteorologic forecast.

Ø  It will offer optical spatial resolution of better than 50 meters and infrared sensing capabilities from geostationary orbit.

Ø  It is designed to operate for eight years at an altitude of almost 36000 km above the Earth.

The satellite was launched as a part of Gaofen Project that aims to launch seven high-definition observation satellites before 2020. Gaofen-1, the first satellite of the project, was launched in April 2013.