China has begun the development of two second-generation weather satellites that will be more durable and reliable than existing satellites, the Shanghai Aerospace Administration (SAA) has announced.
The new satellites will include Fengyun-3, a heliosynchronous satellite, and Fengyun-4, a geosynchronous satellite, both to be developed by the SAA.
The SAA has put into use a new assembly plant that can manufacture six satellites at one time.
Fengyun-3 is expected to replace Fengyun-1D, which was launched in May 15 and put into formal service in September 18.
Fengyun-3 will have greater resolution, enabling it to differentiate an expressway at the height of 870 kilometers (541 miles).
Fengyun-4 will replace Fengyun-2 as a multipurpose satellite for weather forecast, marine monitoring, and use in agriculture, forestry, environment, space science and other functions.
Guo Baozhu, deputy head of the China National Space Administration, said in Shanghai last Friday the new satellites would help greatly improve China's earth monitoring capacity and narrow the satellite technology gap with developed countries.
China is the third nation after the US and Russia to launch heliosynchronous and geosynchronous satellites simultaneously.
(Xinhua News Agency October 29, 2002)
