China May 31

China successfully launched a high-resolution new Earth observation satellite, the Gaofen-9 02, as well as a narrow band Internet of Things (IoT) satellite named Hede-4 into planned orbit from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Northwest China’s Gansu Province at around 4:53 pm on Sunday.

The launch mission was carried out by a Long March-2D rocket, marking the 333rd flight of the Long March carrier rocket family.

The Gaofen-9 02 is an optical remote sensing satellite that is capable of providing photographs with a resolution of less than a meter. It will be used in land survey, urban planning, road network design, agriculture, and disaster relief, and support the construction of the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative.

The Hede-4 satellite is developed by the China Head Aerospace Technology Co from Beijing and is tasked with carrying out status collection of global ship naviga-tion and global flights as well as IoT information.