Late on Wednesday, China launched a synthetic aperture radar satellite with a 5-meter resolution, continuing a surge in launch activity.
On October 12 at 6:53 p.m. Eastern (22:53 UTC), a Long March 2C rocket launched from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in northern China, with insulation tiles separating off the upper stage as the rocket climbed into the sky.
Within an hour, the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp. (CASC) declared the launch successful. Since early August, China has launched 18 rockets.
The S-band S-SAR01 satellite, also known as Huanjing-2E, was on board and was the latest in a line of satellites used for environmental monitoring. A deployable truss antenna, like the one on the Huanjing-1C satellite launched in 2012, is carried by the spacecraft.
A launch-related object was seen in an orbit with a 498 by 763-kilometer orbital diameter and an inclination of 97.65 degrees. According to the China National Space Administration, the 5-meter resolution S-band radar image data from S-SAR01 will aid in “disaster prevention, reduction, relief, and environmental protection,” as well as “serve natural resources, water conservancy, agriculture, forestry, earthquakes, and other fields” (CNSA).
According to Chinese official media, the Ministry of Emergency Management and the Ministry of Ecology and Environment would be its primary users.
The principal spacecraft manufacturer under CASC, China Academy of Space Technology (CAST), a subsidiary of DFH Satellite Co. Ltd, constructed the satellite. The China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (CALT), a division of CASC, provided the Long March 2C.
The launch of Huanjing-2E follows the Huanjing-2A and 2B medium resolution optical satellites launched in 2020, which replaced the 1A and 1B satellites launched in 2008.
The satellite strengthens the nation’s expanding SAR capabilities, and many commercial SAR constellations—some of which include public-private partnerships—appear to be in the pipeline.
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