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Jan. 10, 2012
The Long March 4B launcher lifted off at 0317 GMT Monday (10:17 p.m. EST Sunday) from the Taiyuan space center in Shanxi province, according to the state-run Xinhua news agency. It was 11:17 a.m. Beijing time.
China successfully launched Ziyuan 3, its first high-resolution geological mapping satellite for civil purposes, Jan. 9 from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in northern Shanxi Province, the state-run Xinhua News Agency reported.
Image above: China successfully launched the Ziyuan III satellite Monday from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in northern Shanxi province. (Xinhua Photo).
The satellite was lofted aboard a Long March 4B rocket that also carried a satellite from Luxembourg, Xinhua said. It previously reported that Ziyuan 3 will “conduct surveys on land resources, help with natural disaster-reduction and prevention and lend assistance to farming, water conservation, urban planning and other sectors.”
The satellite, a high-resolution remote-sensing satellite for civilian use, was launched at 11:17 a.m. aboard a Long March 4B rocket, according to a statement from the center.
Image above: On January 9, 2012, China's civil satellite Ziyuan 3 launched from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center. Credit: Ministry of National Defense of the People's Republic of China.
The satellite, weighing 2650 kg, entered an orbit of 500 km above the Earth about 12 minutes after it was launched. It has a designed life expectancy of five years.
Long March 4B rocket carrying Ziyuan 3
According to the center, the satellite is tasked with offering services to aid the country's land-resources surveys, natural-disaster prevention, agriculture development, water-resources management, and urban planning. The rocket also carried a satellite from Luxemburg, according to the launch center.
The orbiter was developed and produced by the China Academy of Space Technology, a subsidiary of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC).
The Long March 4B rocket is developed by Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology, another CASC subsidiary. Monday's mission marked the 156th flight of China's Long March series of carrier rockets.
For more information about CNSA, visit: http://www.cnsa.gov.cn/n615709/cindex.html
Images, Video, Text, Credits: CNSA / CASC / Xinhua / Ministry of National Defense of the People's Republic of China / CNTV / News.cn / Orbiter.ch.
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