China’s Gaofen-1 Satellite goes into Service

China’s Earth observation satellite, Gaofen-1, is now in service.
Main use of the high-definition satellite will be the land and resources, environmental protection and agriculture ministries. Gaofen-1 provides China with high-resolution images of the Earth. The satellite has provided data on the Lushan earthquake in Sichuan, floods in northeastern China and the smog in northern and eastern China during its test period. Gaofen-1 is the first low-orbit remote-sensing satellite designed to be in use for longer than five years. It is the first of six satellites to be launched by 2016. The next satellite, Gaofen-2, will be launched early in 2014.

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