JIUQUAN — China launched two satellites for Pakistan on a Long March-2Crocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China at 11:56a.m. Monday.
The PRSS-1 is China’s first optical remote sensing satellite sold toPakistan and the 17th satellite developed by the China Academy of SpaceTechnology (CAST) for an overseas buyer.
A scientific experiment satellite, PakTES-1A, developed by Pakistan, wassent into orbit via the same rocket.
After entering orbit, the PRSS-1 is in good condition with its solar panelsunfolded smoothly, according to CAST.
The PRSS-1 will be used for land and resources surveying, monitoring ofnatural disasters, agriculture research, urban construction and providingremote sensing information for the Belt and Road region.
The satellite, which has a designed life of seven years, is equipped withtwo panchromatic/multispectral cameras, with a resolution up to a meter anda coverage range of 60 km.
Designers say the two cameras are among the best exported remote sensingcameras made by China. They can be used to monitor plant diseases and pests.
Each camera has independent image processing, storage and transmissioncapability. The design of lossless compression could greatly improve thequality of the images, according to designers.
A specially designed orbit will ensure the satellite operates steadily andwill optimize the image quality.
The satellite can turn at wide angles to enable the cameras to cover awider range. The PRSS-1 has an information security design, and the datacan be encrypted.
The data transmission system is a mature technology, which has been used inmore than 20 Chinese satellites, said He Xinyang, vice president of theXi’an branch of CAST.
When the satellite flies over Pakistan, it can send back real-time images,said Zhang Qian, a designer for the data transmission system.
When it exhausts its fuels and comes to the end of its life, it will besteered out of orbit and burned up in the atmosphere to avoid becomingspace trash.
Monday’s launch is the 279th mission of the Long March rocket series. LongMarch-2C rockets are mainly used to send satellites into low Earth orSun-synchronous orbits.
It is another space cooperation between China and Pakistan since the launchof PAKSAT-1R, a communication satellite, in August 2011.
It is also the first international commercial launch for a Long March-2Crocket within nearly two decades after it carried Motorola’s Iridiumsatellites into orbit in 1999.
Chinese and Pakistani engineers have cooperated closely in the developmentof the satellite. French space experts were invited to supervise themanufacturing of key parts.
Chinese space experts also helped train technologists from Pakistan on itsoperation.
China has previously manufactured two remote sensing satellites forVenezuela. Chinese space engineers implemented international standards inthe production of PRSS-1, which will help expand the internationalcommercial remote sensing market, said Sha Zhibo, director of the camerasystem.