China to launch new weather satellite

China will launch a new meteorological satellite this year to further boost its weather forecasting capabilities, authorities said today.

The Fengyun-II 09 satellite, the last in the Fengyun-II series, will be able to collect meteorological, maritime, and hydrological data to help weather forecast in China and neighbouring regions, the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation said in a statement.

The satellite will be launched from Xichang Satellite Launch Centre in southwest China's Sichuan Province.

Fengyun satellites are a series of remote-sensing meteorological satellites developed by China.

Fengyun-I and Fengyun-III are polar orbiting weather satellites, while Fengyun-II and Fengyun-IV operate in geostationary orbit, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.