China Receives Data from Newly-Launched Environment Monitoring Satellites

BEIJING, Sept. 29 (Xinhua) -- China Remote Sensing Satellite Ground Station has received data from two newly-launched environment monitoring satellites, sources with the Chinese Academy of Sciences said Tuesday.

The ground station in Beijing's Miyun District was the first to successfully track and receive the downlink data of HJ-2A and HJ-2B satellites.

The ground station in Kashgar in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region also received data from the two satellites.

A total of 119 GB data was received under normal operational conditions on Monday.

The two environment monitoring satellites were launched from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in the northern province of Shanxi on Sunday.

They will replace the HJ-1A and HJ-1B, the previous generation of environment monitoring satellites, to provide services related to environment protection, natural resources, water conservation, agriculture and forestry, according to satellite developer China Academy of Space Technology (CAST).

The HJ-2A and HJ-2B are 16-meter optical satellites with high mobility, precision control and stability, as well as strong load adaptability and long life spans.

The satellites can provide 16-meter multispectral, 48-meter hyperspectral and infrared image data.

Soucre: Xinhuanet