China launches new remote-sensing satellite

JIUQUAN - China sent a new remote sensing satellite into planned orbit from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Northwest China on Wednesday.

The Jilin-1 Gaofen 02A, which belongs to the Jilin-1 satellite family, was launched by Kuaizhou-1A (KZ-1A), a carrier rocket at 11:40 am (Beijing Time).

KZ-1A is a low-cost solid-fuel carrier rocket with high reliability and a short preparation period. The rocket, developed by a company under the China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation, is mainly used to launch low-orbit microsatellites.

Wednesday's launch was the second mission of the KZ-1A rocket in 2019. It had previously completed three commercial launches from January 2017 to August 2019.

The Jilin-1 Gaofen 02A satellite is a new optical remote sensing satellite independently developed by Chang Guang Satellite Technology Co, Ltd, featuring high resolution, wide width and high-speed data transmission.

It will form a network with 13 previously launched Jilin-1 satellites, providing remote sensing data and services in fields like agriculture, forestry, resource and environment.