China launches satellite that can photograph every metre of ground

TAIYUAN, Jan. 15 (Xinhua) - China on Wednesday placed a new optical remote sensing satellite for commercial use in its planned orbit from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in northern China's Shanxi Province.

The satellite, belonging to the Jilin-1 family of satellites and also bearing the name Red Flag-1 H9, was launched by a Long March-2D carrier rocket at 10.53 am (Beijing time).

The new satellite, developed by Chang Guang Satellite Technology Co., Ltd., has super wide coverage and a resolution of less than one meter. It is also capable of storing and transmitting data at high speed.

It will work with 15 other Jilin-1 satellites already in orbit to form a constellation offering remote sensing data and services to government and industrial users.

Thanks to the same carrier rocket, three small satellites, including NewSat7 and NewSat8, developed by an Argentine company, have also been launched into space.

The Long March-2D carrier rocket was developed by the Shanghai Academy of Space Flight Technology under the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation.

The launch on Wednesday represented the 325th mission of the Longue Marche family's rockets.