China has successfully launched its “most sophisticated”observation satellite, Gaofen-4, as part of the country’s high-definition earth observation project. Gaofen-4 was launched from the Xichang Satellite Launch Centre in the southwestern province of Sichuan aboard a Long March-3B carrier rocket. It was the 222th flight of the Long March rocket series. Gaofen-4 is China’s first geosynchronous orbit HD optical imaging satellite and the world’s most sophisticated HD geosynchronous orbit remote sensing satellite.

About Gaofen-4

• Different from Gaofen-1 and Gaofen-2 in low orbits (600-700 km) around the earth, Gaofen-4 is located at the orbit 36,000 kilometers away from the earth and moves synchronously with the earth.
• 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, Li Guo, chief designer of Gaofen-4 said.
• The successful launch of Gaofen-4 was the 19th space mission in this year.

Uses

• It will be used for disaster prevention and relief, surveillance of geological disasters and forest disasters, and meteorologic forecast.
• The Gaofen project aims to launch seven high-definition observation satellites before 2020.

Gaofen-1, the first satellite of the project, was launched in April 2013.