Three days after losing a high-resolution remote sensing satellite due to an apparent problem with its upper stage, China launched nine new satellites for the Jilin-1 remote sensing constellation from a barge out at sea.<\/p>\n
Launch of the nine Jilin-1 Gaofen-03 satellites took place at 01:23 UTC on Tuesday using the Long March-11H (Y2) rocket.<\/p>\n
Launched from the De Bo 3 launch platform, all mission preparations and countdown operations were conducted from the command and control ship Bei Hai Jiu 101. This ship left port on September 13 to travel to the launch zone in the Yellow Sea.<\/p>\n
The Jilin-1 Gaofen-03 (Jilin-1 High Resolution-03) satellites are a group of nine satellites for the Jilin-1 EO satellite constellation. With a mass of less than 40 kg, the group includes three video satellites and six push-broom satellites.<\/p>\n
Developed by Changguang Satellite Technology Co., Ltd., and fully inheriting the mature technical principles of the Jilin-1 Gaofen-03A satellite, the new satellites adopt a lightweight structural design.<\/p>\n
They include an integrated electronic system, high-resolution ultra-light Innovative technologies \u2013 such as low-cost quantitative cameras \u2013 and have the characteristics of low cost, low power consumption, low weight, and high-resolution observation capacity.<\/p>\n
After being inserted on the Jilin-1 constellation, the new satellites will provide users in the forestry, agriculture, grassland, ocean, resources, environment, and other industries with richer remote sensing data and product service.<\/p>\n
The Jilin-1 satellite constellation was developed on China\u2019s Jilin Province and is the country\u2019s first self-developed remote sensing satellite for commercial use. Data is aimed to help clients forecast and mitigate geological disasters, as well as shorten the time scale for the exploration of natural resources.<\/p>\n
The satellites are developed and operated by the Changguang Satellite Technology Co., Ltd under the Changchun Institute of Optics, Fine Mechanics and Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences.<\/p>\n
Rocket building kits (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});<\/p>\n Jilin, one of the country\u2019s oldest industrial bases, is developing its satellite industry in a new economic drive. The original plan was to launch 60 satellites by 2020 and 138 by 2030.<\/p>\n The De Bo 3 launch platform:<\/p>\n The De Bo 3 has a total length of 159.6 meters, a maximum width of 38.8 meters, a depth of 10.9 meters, a maximum load capacity of 20,500 tons, and a maximum unilateral buoyancy of 12,000 tons.<\/p>\n The ship\u2019s power system is full electric propulsion, with a maximum speed of 12 knots, DP1 dynamic positioning and 4-point anchoring positioning system, and rapid load adjustment.<\/p>\n