China Sends New Gaofen Satellite into Orbit

The Gaofen 12-02 satellite was put into orbit by a Long March 4C carrier rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Northwest China's Gansu Province on March 31.

Primarily developed by the Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology (SAST), a subsidiary of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, the Gaofen 12-02 satellite will be mainly used in land surveys, urban planning, land rights confirmation, road network design, and crop yield estimations, as well as disaster relief.

The Long March 4C carrier rocket, a three-stage rocket propelled by normal temperature liquid fuel, was also developed by SAST.

With a payload capacity of 3 tons in the sun-synchronous orbit 700 kilometers above the Earth, the rocket is capable of launching various kinds of satellites to different orbits and can deliver several satellites with one flight.

It was the 364th of the Long March carrier rocket family.

The Long March 4C carrier rocket, carrying the Gaofen 12-02 satellite, is launched from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Gansu Province on March 31. [Photo/sasac.gov.cn]

The Long March 4C carrier rocket is ready for flight at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center. [Photo/sasac.gov.cn]

(Executive editor: Wang Ruoting)