A satellite sent into orbit from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the Gobi Desert on Friday is expected to help provide early warning of potential geological hazards in China.
The satellite, Dianjian-1, is a 300-kilogram-class small radar remote sensing satellite. Equipped with an X-band Synthetic Aperture Radar payload, it operates in a sun-synchronous orbit at an altitude of approximately 500 kilometers with a designed service life of five years.
Compared with optical remote sensing, SAR satellites are less affected by cloud, rainfall and lighting conditions, enabling constant all-weather Earth observation. They are suitable for continuous monitoring of complex terrain and landform areas such as alpine valleys, reservoir bank slopes and major engineering construction sites.
The satellite will mainly monitor hydropower and water conservancy projects, reservoir bank slopes, dams and their surrounding geological environments, transportation corridors, as well as power transmission and transformation routes. It can acquire high-resolution radar remote sensing data, according to developers.
Its data can be applied to the identification of tiny surface deformation, assessment of engineering safety conditions, and risk analysis of geological disasters.
The satellite was co-developed by PowerChina Chengdu Engineering Corp, China University of Geosciences (Wuhan) and Spacety.
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