A LM-4C Successfully Launched the GF-5 Satellite into Space

A LM-4C launch vehicle lifted off from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center at 02:28 Beijing time on May 9,launching GF-5 satellite into space. The launch mission was successfully completed with the satellite entering its preset sun-synchronous orbit.

The satellite was developed by the Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology (SAST). It is China’s first hyperspectral imaging satellite for comprehensive observation as well as the only hyperspectral imaging satellite for China’s high-resolution Earth observation project.

GF-5 weighs about 2700 kg with a design life of 8 years and power of 1700 W. It is equipped with 6 newly developed payloads including 2 advanced hyperspectral/multispectral land observation payloads and 4 advanced atmospheric observation payloads and is able to obtain spectral information from ultraviolet through to long-wave infrared radiation.

The satellite will mainly conduct pollution gas, greenhouse gas, regional environmental air quality, water environment and ecological environment monitoring, geological resources survey,climate change research, and other high spectral remote sensing monitoring and application demonstrations.

GF-5 is being put into orbit by a LM-4C launch vehicle

The successful launch of GF-5 will provide remote sensing data for China’s comprehensive environment monitoring, land resources exploration, climate change research, disaster prevention and reduction, crop classification and yield estimation, ending the dependence of hyperspectral remote sensing data from foreign countries for various industries and departments. It is of great significance to the development of hyperspectral remote sensing technology in China and the establishment of China’s high-resolution Earth observation system.

The LM-4C launch vehicle was developed by SAST. This was the 274th flight of the LM family.