Tag: Remote Sensing
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China Launches Nine Satellites on Kinetica 1, Including Orbital AI and 5G Testbeds
China launched nine satellites aboard a Kinetica 1 Y18 rocket from the Dongfeng Commercial Space Innovation Pilot Zone at 12:03 p.m. Beijing Time on September 20, 2026. The satellites entered their planned orbits, marking the 16th flight of the Kinetica 1 launch vehicle. The mission carried the Qinling-01 and Qinling-02 satellites, Pujiang-4, PEGA-SUS1, Diting-01 Group…
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China Launches Four PIESAT-2 Radar Satellites With Onboard Data Processing
China launched four PIESAT-2 synthetic aperture radar satellites on September 19, expanding a commercial Earth-observation constellation designed for high-resolution, all-weather monitoring. A Long March 2D rocket lifted off from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center at 6:50 p.m. Beijing Time and placed the PIESAT-2 13–16 satellites into their planned orbits. The four satellites belong to Zhuzhou…
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China Launches Tianyi-51 and Tianyi-52 Satellites on Kuaizhou-11 Rocket
At 10:40 a.m. Beijing time on September 17, 2026, China launched the Tianyi-51 and Tianyi-52 satellites aboard a Kuaizhou-11 Y3 rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center. Both satellites entered their planned orbits, completing the mission successfully. The satellites form a commercial, mid-inclination interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) pair designed to monitor changes in the…
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Pinglu Canal Officially Opens to Shipping: Satellite Images Capture China’s Project of the Century
China’s 134.2-kilometer Pinglu Canal officially opened to navigation on September 16, 2026, creating a direct waterway between the Xijiang River system and the Beibu Gulf. Satellite imagery released by the China Centre for Resources Satellite Data and Application provides a corridor-wide view of the RMB 72.7 billion project and records the construction of new channels,…
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Vega-C Launches FLEX and Sentinel-3C on Dual Earth Observation Mission (Video)
A Vega C rocket launched the FLEX and Copernicus-3C satellites from Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana on Sept. 14, 2026 at 9:21 p.m. EDT (10:21 p.m. local time in Kourou and 0121 GMT on Sept. 15). Credit: ESA Europe’s Vega-C rocket launched ESA’s FLEX research satellite and the European Union’s Copernicus Sentinel-3C environmental monitoring…
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From Snow and Ice Retreat in 2010 to an Ice Avalanche in 2016 and Crack Coalescence Two Days Before the Disaster: How Satellites Reconstructed a Decade of Progressive Rock-Slope Failure
The Chamoli slope did not suddenly fail on 7 February: Satellite data reveal a decade of progressive deterioration before the rockslide. At a glance: The Chamoli disaster of 7 February 2021 appeared to be a sudden rock–ice avalanche in the high mountains. This paper, however, focuses not on how far the post-failure flood traveled, but…
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Satellite Data Reveals Hidden Patterns of War in Ukraine and Myanmar
Satellite observations can expose wartime destruction overlooked by conventional reporting and help researchers build more complete records of armed conflict, according to an international study published in Nature on September 9, 2026. The research combines satellite-derived damage assessments with media-based conflict data, using case studies from Ukraine and Myanmar to show how Earth observation can…
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Xiopm SPACE’s Qin Jing: What Is the Real Commercial Value of Space-Based Computing?
In 2026, space-based computing emerged as a major new direction for the commercial space industry. What problems is it meant to solve, and where is the industry heading? Hello Space has launched the Space-Based Computing Interview Series, speaking with leading Chinese companies to examine the real progress being made in this emerging field. Our guest…
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A Decade of Sentinel-1 Scanning the Globe: How Much Flooding Have We Been Missing?
Key takeaway: Several global flood datasets already exist, but their long-term records rely primarily on optical remote sensing from satellites such as MODIS and Landsat. Yet the most severe floods often occur under thick cloud cover. The real question this study seeks to answer is not “How can we detect floods one more time?” but…
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First Geological Mapping Results from China-Saudi Geoscience Cooperation Released
Saudi Arabia’s Geological Survey released the first batch of 24 detailed 1:100,000-scale geological maps of the Saudi Arabian Shield on Sept. 11 during the Central Asia-West Asia Mining Investment Promotion Conference at the 2026 China International Mining Conference. Led by the China Geological Survey, the project represents a major milestone in China-Saudi geoscience cooperation and…