Chinese Rocket Sends New Environmental Satellites to Space in 6 Days

On Thursday, a Chinese Long March-2C rocket launched a new satellite for emergency management, disaster preparedness, and environmental monitoring from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in northern Shanxi Province.

According to Global Times, China launched the satellite S-SAR01 at 6:53 PM EST (6:53 AM Beijing Time).

The spacecraft has moved into its predetermined orbit. The Ministry of Emergency Management and the Ministry of Ecology and Environment will be its main users.

China Launches Environmental Satellites into Space

The satellite will aid disaster assistance, prevention, and reduction by acquiring 5-meter resolution S-band radar image data.

According to Xinhua, the satellite's 60-foot (5-meter) resolution would be utilized mostly for environmental protection and disaster assistance.

China National Space Administration added it would also be used in forestry, earthquakes, agriculture, and water conservation domains.

This was China's 45th launch of 2022. With 55 launches carried out, last year was the most active launch campaign to date.

"The launch mission was a complete success," the China National Space Administration, or CNSA, wrote on its website.

The Long March rocket series' 443rd mission was also carried out on Thursday.

This satellite supplements Huanjing-2A and 2B, two medium-resolution satellites launched in 2020 to replace an earlier generation lofted into orbit in 2008.

China Launches Its First Space Laboratory Module Tiangong-1 — JIUQUAN, CHINA - SEPTEMBER 29: A Long March 2F rocket carrying the country's first space laboratory module Tiangong-1 lifts off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center on September 29, 2011 in Jiuquan, Gansu province of China. The unmanned Tiangong-1 will stay in orbit for two years and dock with China's Shenzhou-8, -9 and -10 spacecraft with the eventual goal of establishing a manned Chinese space station around 2020. Lintao Zhang/Getty Images

ALSO READ : China's Long March 9 Successfully Passed the Engine Test

Sending Rocket to Space

Days before, China launched the nation's first specifically designed satellite for studying the sun, the Advanced Space-borne Solar Observatory (ASO-S).

SpaceNews said the four-year mission, which began on October 8 at 7:43 pm EST (7:43 am Beijing Time), aimed to shed light on the connection between the sun's magnetic fields and solar flares and coronal mass ejections.

Just 36 hours before the mission, a pair of CentiSpace-1 S5 and S6 navigational improvement satellites were launched into space.

A Long March 11 solid rocket launched from a barge modified for mobile offshore launch sent the pair into space. In an effort to develop a satellite launch and ecology around the sea launch facilities in Haiyang in the eastern province of Shandong, this was China's fourth maritime launch.

The three launches were the 43rd, 44th, and 45th in China in 2022. The bulk has been carried out by CASC, which has more than 50 launches scheduled for 2022. Late in October, CASC plans to launch the third and last Tiangong space station module.

In order to make room for the arrival of the 22-metric-ton Mengtian module, the second module, Wentian, which launched in July, was recently moved to a side docking port where it will stay for the duration of the Tiangong outpost.

Check out more news and information on Space in Science Times.