China on Thursday successfully launched a new satellite into space for testing, the official media reported.
The Shiyan-11 satellite was launched aboard a Kuaizhou-1A carrier rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in the Gobi Desert in Inner Mongolia. The satellite has since entered its predetermined orbit, the China Global Television Network (CGTN) reported.
Featuring 12 imaging modes, the satellite can meet the application requirements in multiple fields including ocean, emergency management, land resources, geology, ecological and environmental protection, water conservancy, agriculture and meteorology.
It will network with the orbiting Gaofen-3 01 satellite to form a land-sea radar satellite constellation.
Shiyan-11 is built for testing, but the purpose of the satellite’s latest mission has not yet been revealed, it said. Another series of Chinese satellites called Shijian is used for technology verification.
The latest Shijian satellite, the Shijian-21, was launched in October, while the previous Shiyan satellite, the Shiyan-10, didn’t work as intended after being successfully launched into the planned orbit.
Kuaizhou-1A, a general-purpose, small-sized rocket series featuring fast deployment speed, is designed and manufactured by the China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation for commercial launches, the report said.
