China launches high-resolution Earth observation satellite for improving Belt and Road Initiative

China on Tuesday has successfully launched an optical remote sensing satellite, as part of its high-resolution Earth observation project which will also provide data for the Belt and Road Initiative.

The Gaofen-11 satellite was launched on a Long March 4B rocket at 11 am (local time) from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Centre in northern Shanxi Province, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

In the “Long March” rocket series this was the 277th mission.

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Fengyun-2H is the last geostationary orbit satellite in the Fengyun-2 series.

Zhao Jian, deputy director of the Department of System Engineering of China National Space Administration (CNSA) said, “The Fengyun-4 series will dominate China’s new generation geostationary orbit meteorological satellites.”
The satellite can be used for land survey, urban planning, road network design, agriculture, and disaster relief. Its data will also be used for the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), the report said.

Zhao said that China will offer data from the Fengyun series free to Belt and Road countries and APSCO member countries.

In an aim to link the Gulf region, Southeast Asia, Africa, Central Asia and Europe with a network of land and sea routes, BRI was revealed in 2013

According to SAST, The fengyun-4A geostationary meteorological satellite which was launched at the end of 2016 with an objective to improve the efficiency by 20 times compared with the Fengyun-2 series.

Comparing with the Fengyun-2 series, Fengyun-4A 4A geostationary meteorological satellite which was launched at the end of 2016 which has improved the efficiency by 20 times.