[ad_1]
A Chinese marine observation satellite designed to monitor ocean pollution, measure sea temperature and track ship movements was successfully launched on Friday at the top of a long rocket on March 2.
The Haiyang 1C spacecraft took off on Friday at 3:15 GMT from the Taiyuan Space Center in northeast China's Shanxi Province, the official Xinhua news agency reported.
Chinese officials said the Long March 2C flight was a success, marking the 24th space launch of 2018 in the country and extending the record for the highest number of Chinese launches in a year.
The liquid-fueled two-stage Long March 2C rocket delivered the Haiyang 1C satellite in orbit about 485 miles (780 kilometers) above the Earth, with a 98.6-degree trajectory to the equator.
The Haiyang satellite series, which bears the Chinese name of Ocean, is dedicated to maritime surveillance, environmental monitoring and oceanography.
Haiyang 1C "will monitor the color of the ocean and the temperature of the water, providing basic data for research on the global ocean environment," the Xinhua news agency reported.
According to data provided by the World Meteorological Organization, the satellite weighed 444 kilograms at launch. Haiyang 1C also has a coastal zone imager for collecting medium-resolution images and an antenna for detecting location signals broadcast by ships.
According to officials, Haiyang 1C ocean color measurements will detect chlorophyll in the Earth's oceans, suspended sediments, and soluble organic matter. Information from the new Chinese satellite will also help officials determine the health of fish stocks and other natural resources.
China has launched three previous marine observation satellites: Haiyang 1A in 2002, Haiyang 1B in 2007 and Haiyang 2A – the first of a new range of spacecraft with different oceanographic instruments – in 2011.
Xinhua announced that the Haiyang 1D satellite, the next in the series, is expected to be launched in 2019.
Email the author.
Follow Stephen Clark on Twitter: @ StephenClark1.
[ad_2]
Source link
