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Nov. 14, 2017
Image above: A Long March 4C rocket lifts off from the Taiyuan space center Tuesday with the Fengyun 3D weather satellite. Image Credit: Xinhua.
A Chinese Long March 4C rocket launched Tuesday with a new polar-orbiting weather observatory named Fengyun 3D, replacing an aging satellite for the China Meteorological Administration.
The Fengyun 3D satellite lifted off at 18:35 GMT (12:35 p.m. EST) Tuesday from the Taiyuan space center in Shanxi province located in northeastern China.
China Launches Fengyun-3D Meteorological Satellite
A three-stage Long March 4C rocket boosted the approximately 2.5-ton satellite toward the south from Taiyuan, where launch occurred at 2:35 a.m. local time Wednesday
The Long March 4C’s three liquid-fueled stages placed the Fengyun 3D satellite in a 500-mile-high (800-kilometer) polar orbit tilted 98.7 degrees to the equator, according to tracking data released by the U.S. military.
Fengyun 3D hosts 10 instruments to collect data on atmospheric conditions, cloud and storm movements, ozone health and greenhouse gases, the China Meteorological Administration said in a statement announcing the successful launch.
Artist's illustration of the Fengyun 3D satellite. Image Credit: CMA
The new satellite, designed for mission of eight years, “will help people learn about the future weather conditions earlier and reduce the economic and social impact of natural disasters,” CMA said in a statement. “Its ability to detect aerosols and greenhouse gases will play an active role in coping with climate change.”
Fengyun 3D will replace the Fengyun 3B weather satellite launched in November 2010. Another Chinese weather satellite already in orbit — Fengyun 3C — will conduct tandem observations with the newest member of the fleet.
Tuesday’s launch placed Fengyun 3D into an orbit that passes overhead in the afternoon. Fengyun 3C is in a mid-morning orbit, giving Chinese forecasters a snapshot of weather conditions twice a day.
For more information about China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC), visit: http://english.spacechina.com/n16421/index.html
Images (mentioned), Video (CCTV+), Text, Credits: CASC/Spaceflight Now/Stephen Clark.
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