China launches high-resolution Earth observing satellite Gaofen-9 05

China on August 23 launched a new optical remote-sensing satellite that will help the Communist state in land surveying, road networking, disaster prevention, and mitigation among other things. The satellite named Gaofen-9 05 was launched on Sunday at around 10:27 am (Beijing time) from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China. The new Earth observation satellite was shipped on the country's Long March-2D carrier rocket, as per the China National Space Administration (CNSA). 

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The latest mission was the 343rd flight of the Long March Rocket family and it also carried two additional payloads, a multi-functional experimental satellite and a spacecraft named Tiantuo-5. The communication to navigation technology of the experimental satellite will be tested, while the Tiantuo-5, developed by the National University of Defence Technology, will be used for verifying in-orbit information collection capabilities from ships, and IOT or Internet of Things, according to the Chinese state-run media.

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Will help BRI

The high-resolution earth observing satellite will also provide information for the construction of China's controversial Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), said China-owned CGTN in its report. It will be reportedly used for surveying lands for the construction of the project as it can provide high-resolution images up to the sub-meter level. In June this year, China launched the last satellite of its BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS), which experts say could be a competitor of the US' GPS. The satellite was the 55th of the BeiDou family and was launched into the orbit using Long March-3B carrier rocket.

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