China's New Remote Sensing Sat Launched

China has launched a new remote sensing satellite from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center, the fifth satellite in the YaoGan series and developed by the China Academy of Space Technology, was launched by a CZ-4B Chang Zheng-4B rocket at 03:22 UTC yesterday morning.

According to the Chinese media, the YaoGan-5 satellite will be used for scientific research, land resources surveying, crop yield estimate, and disaster prevention and relief. Announced as a remote sensing and disaster relief satellite series, the YaoGan satellites have an “obscure” mission. The first YaoGan satellite (29092 2006-015A) was launched by a CZ-4C Chang Zheng-4C (CZ4C-1) from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center on April 27, 2006. At the time the details about this satellite were very rare, but later it was said that this was the first Jian Bing-5 satellite and was equipped with the first space-based synthetic aperture radar (SAR). Other YaoGan launches have occurred on May 25, 2007, November 12th, 2007, and on December 1st, 2008. According to Sinodefence.com, modifications on the CZ-4B included larger payload fairing, the replacement of the original mechanical-electrical control on the CZ-4 with an electronic control, an improved telemetry, tracking, control, and self-destruction systems with smaller size and lighter weight. It also includes a revised nozzle design in the second stage for better high-altitude performance, a propellant management system for the second stage to reduce the spare propellant amount, thus increasing the vehicle’s payload capability and a propellant jettison system on the third-stage.

This launch was the 10th orbital launch by China this year, the 115th Chinese orbital launch, the 27th orbital launch from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center, and the fourth orbital launch from Taiyuan this year. Situated in the Kelan County on the northwest part of the Shanxi Province, the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center is also known by the Wuzhai designation. The site is used mainly for polar launches (meteorological, Earth resources, and scientific satellites). The launch center is equipped with a Mission Command and Control Center, a Technical Center and telemetry, tracking and communications centers. There are two launch complexes in Taiyuan. The next Chinese launch will probably be the launch of the FY-2E Feng Yun-2E meteorological satellite from Xi Chang Satellite Launch Center that is scheduled to take place in the last 10 days of this year. The satellite will be launched by a CZ-2A Chang Zheng-3A rocket.

(Source: NASA Spaceflight.com. Photo, above, is of the YaoGan-5 satellite.)