BEIJING – China launched the Long March 2C rocket, which was carrying twoPakistan remote sensing satellites into the orbit, from the JiuquanSatellite Launch Centre at 11:56am 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.
The Pakistan Remote Sensing Double Star will be mainly used in Pakistan forland resources survey, evaluation, dynamic monitoring and management,resource utilisation, environmental disaster monitoring, agriculturalsurvey, and urban construction.
It will play a positive role in the development of Pakistan’s economy andimprove the lives of people. Alongside, it will also provide space remotesensing information services for the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor,which is flagship project of Belt and Road Initiative.
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.
The launch of the rockets marks yet another space cooperation between Chinaand Pakistan since the launch of PAKSAT-1R, a communication satellite, inAugust 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.
According to Xu Qin, deputy chief designer of the Changjiu Rocket, with thecontinuous development of China’s remote sensing satellite technology. InMay 2016, China and Pakistan had signed a contract for the Pakistan RemoteSensing Double Star Project, and China took the whole star export as anopportunity in the project.
The use of remote sensing satellites independently developed by China haspromoted the return of long-two-propane rockets to the international market.
“Before the launch, our model team and the Pakistani side had conductedmany communication and coordination, stepped down and batched the taskrequirements, and provided thoughtful and watchful service, which washighly praised by the Pakistani side”, Guo Wu, deputy commander of theMarch 2 C rocket added.