A new meteorological satellite from China has been pushed into its planned orbit from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China — this occurred on July 5.
The satellite, Fengyun-3E (FY-3E), was lifted to space by a Long March-4C rocket at 7:28 a.m. (Beijing Time). This was the 377th flight mission of the Long March rocket series, according to the China National Space Administration.
Equipped with 11 remote sensing payloads, FY-3E will be the world’s first meteorological satellite in early morning orbit for civil service, according to the agency. The satellite is designed for an eight year lifespan and will mainly obtain atmospheric temperature, humidity and other meteorological parameters for prediction applications, all to improve China’s weather forecasting capabilities.
The satellite, according to sources, will also monitor global snow and ice coverage, sea surface temperature, natural disasters, and ecology to enable better response to climate change and to prevent and mitigate meteorological disasters. In addition, the satellite will monitor solar and space environments and their effects, as well as ionospheric data to meet the needs of space weather forecasts and supporting services.
The satellite and rocket were developed by the Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology and is operated under the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation.