China launches satellite to get accurate images of earth

China on Wednesday launched a new high-resolution Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) imaging satellite which provides accurate pictures of earth with ability to photograph detailed scenarios of its specific areas.

The satellite was launched from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Centre in northern Shanxi Province.

The Gaofen-3 satellite was launched off on the back of a Long March 4C rocket at 6:55 am (local time), according to the centre.

It was the 233rd flight mission by a Long March carrier rocket. As China's first SAR imaging satellite that is accurate to one metre in distance, it covers the globe with an all-weather, 24-hour observation service and will be used for disaster warning, weather forecasting, water resource assessments, and the protection of maritime rights, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

With 12 imaging modes, the high-definition observation satellite is capable of taking wide pictures of earth and photographing detailed scenarios of specific areas.

Gaofen-3 is also China's first low orbit remote sensing satellite that has a lifespan of eight years.

It is able to provide high-definition remote sensing data for its users over long periods of time. Since the inception of the Gaofen project in 2013, China has had an increasingly clear view of the planet, the report said.

Launched in April 2013, Gaofen-1 can cover the globe in just four days. Gaofen-2, sent into space in August 2014, is accurate to 0.8 metres in full colour and can collect multispectral images of objects 3.2 metres or longer in length.

Gaofen-4, launched in late 2015, is China's first geosynchronous orbit high-definition optical imaging satellite and the world's most sophisticated.

The Gaofen-3 and the Long March 4C rocket were developed by the China Academy of Space Technology and the Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology, under guidance of the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation.