China Launches Gaofen 8 Earth Observation Satellite

by GIS Resources , 2015-06-29

In recent news, China has successfully launched the Gaofen 8, a high resolution optical remote sensing satellite into a scheduled near-circular orbit with an average altitude of around 473 kilometers, or 294 miles.

The Gaofen 8 satellite lifted off at 0622 GMT (2:22 a.m. EDT; 2:22 p.m. Beijing time) Friday. Credit: Xinhua

The Gaofen 8 satellite lifted off on top of a Long March 4B rocket at 0622 GMT (2:22 a.m. EDT) on June 26, 2015 from the Taiyuan space center in northern China’s Shanxi province.

Chinese officials said the Gaofen 8 satellite is part of a civilian program, joining the Gaofen 1 and Gaofen 2 Earth observation satellites launched from the Taiyuan space center in 2013 and 2014. The Gaofen 8 satellite imagery will mainly be used for scientific experiments, natural resource surveys, crop yield estimates and disaster relief, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

Categories: GIS

Tags: China, Gaofen 8, High resolution, Optical Remote Sensing, remote sensing, satellite

About Author

GIS Resources

GIS Resources is an initiative of Spatial Media and Services Enterprises with the purpose that everyone can enrich their knowledge and develop competitiveness. GIS Resources is a global platform, for latest and high-quality information source for the geospatial industry, brings you the latest insights into the developments in geospatial science and technology.