By IANS,
Beijing: China will launch its first satellite for a high-resolution system for Earth observation in April, a government agency said Thursday.
Examinations of the satellite and its carrier rocket — the Long March 2D — have been completed and the satellite is now in the launch stage, Xinhua quoted the State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defence (SATIND) in a statement.
China plans to launch five to six satellites before the end of 2015 to build a spatial, temporal and spectral high-resolution observation system, it said.
The system would mainly provide services for the Ministry of Land and Resources, Ministry of Agriculture and Ministry of Environmental Protection.
It is expected to help reduce disasters, protect resources,the environment and national security, as well as support geographic and oceanic surveys and urban transportation management, the SATIND said.
It said that the system would also enhance China’s ability to obtain high-resolution observation data and accelerate its development of satellite application technologies.