Three "weather sentinels" in space will ensure accurate
meteorological service for the 2008 Olympic Games, officials said
yesterday.
And by 2010, a navigation satellite system and a constellation
of oceanic, environment, disaster and earthquake monitoring
satellites will be in place.
The plans were unveiled yesterday by Luo Ge, deputy chief of the
China National Space Administration (CNSA) at a Beijing forum to
mark the 50th anniversary of the country's space industry.
In addition to the one in service, "we will launch a
geo-stationary meteorological satellite soon, and four more of the
series will follow in the next five years," Luo said at the forum
sponsored by the Chinese Society of Astronautics.
FY-2D (FY are the initials of the Chinese words for "wind and
cloud"), will be placed in orbit within a week, Yang Jun, director
of the National Satellite Meteorological Centre, confirmed.
"FY-2D will join the FY-2C satellite, which was sent into space
in 2004; they will work as each other's back-up and to improve the
accuracy of weather forecasts," Yang told China Daily from the
Xichang Satellite Launch Centre in Southwest China's Sichuan
Province.
Forecasters will then be able to get a "cloud map" of China
every 15 minutes - half the time of the current intervals, he said
by telephone.
FY-2D will be in its "best service state" in 2008, when the 29th
Olympic Games are held in Beijing, Yang said.
FY-3, a polar-orbiting satellite, will be launched in the second
half of next year; and compared with geo-stationary weather
satellites, it offers pictures with resolutions 25 times as high,
Yang said.
The three FY satellites will also benefit people in the Asia
Pacific as data is offered free to forecasters in the region, he
said.
In addition, the country plans to have in place a navigation
satellite system covering China and its neighbors, CNSA
Vice-Director Luo said.
Space industry insiders said last month that two navigation
satellites would be launched early next year as part of a plan to
build a global positioning network.
Luo said that breakthroughs are expected in satellite navigation
and positioning systems, and plans are to have in place the
Beidou-2 navigation and positioning system in five years.
Other satellites set to be launched by 2010 include those for
monitoring the environment, disasters, oceans and the earth's
resources, according to Luo.
In particular, China will begin developing an
earthquake-monitoring satellite that can rapidly detect
electromagnetic changes on the Earth's surface, he said. He did not
specify when it would be ready.
The official said scientists will strive to improve the
reliability of satellites and extend their mission life.
For example, in the coming five years, the lifespan of a
communications and broadcast satellite will be increased from eight
to 15 years; and the service period of earth observation satellites
planned to be double the current two to three years, he said.
?
In response to recent media reports that China is developing a
reusable launch vehicle, Luo said his agency did not have such a
plan for the next two to three decades.
The country's ambitious plans suffered a setback when its first
direct-to-home broadcast satellite launched in October did not
function due to technical faults, and plans are afoot for a
replacement.
(China Daily December 5, 2006)