China launches new satellites for advanced Earth observation

ISTANBUL

China launched a new set of satellites early Tuesday from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in Shanxi Province, according to state media.

The PIESAT-2 09-12 satellites were sent into orbit at 2.50 a.m. local time (1850GMT) aboard a Long March-2D carrier rocket, successfully reaching their designated positions.

This marks the 553rd mission for the Long March rocket series.

The group of four Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellites, developed by private company GalaxySpace, is equipped for high-resolution, all-weather, and round-the-clock Earth observation.

Duan Xiao, the chief designer at GalaxySpace, highlighted that deploying multiple SAR satellites enhances revisit rates, enabling high-resolution imaging and frequent global coverage.

The satellites can perform millimeter-level deformation measurements for structures such as dams and bridges, supporting efforts in land resource management, earthquake monitoring, disaster response, and forestry, Duan said.

GalaxySpace has so far delivered eight batch-produced SAR satellites and continues to expand its satellite development capabilities, the company added.

Separately, the China Manned Space Agency announced that Chinese astronauts aboard the China Space Station will conduct their first round of extravehicular activities within the next few days.

The Shenzhou-19 crew members were launched into space in late October.