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May 30, 2016
Long March 4B launch Ziyuan-3 Earth Observer
China’s Long March 4B rocket lifted off from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center on Monday, carrying into orbit the Ziyuan-3-02 Earth Observation satellite and a pair of microsatellites for Argentina.
The 46-meter tall rocket, conducting the fifth Chinese launch of the year, lifted off around 3:17 UTC and reached its planned polar orbit within ten minutes of liftoff.
China's Ziyuan-III 02 Geological Mapping Satellite Launched
Ziyuan-3-02 is the second in China’s third generation of Earth Observation Satellites, following the ZY-3-01 satellite orbited in 2012 and now approaching the end of its five-year service life. The first Ziyuan satellite was launched in 1999 to initiate a civilian Earth Observation Program for the collection of data useful for map generation, environmental monitoring and urban planning, however, the first two generations of ZY satellites were also employed for reconnaissance purposes.
The Ziyuan-3-02 satellite
The Ziyuan-3-02 satellite weighs in at around 2,640 Kilograms and hosts a pair of Earth imaging instruments, a Three-Line Array Camera and a Multispectral Camera.
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Images, Video, Text, Credits: CASC/Xinhua/CCTV+/Günter Space Page/Orbiter.ch Aerospace.
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