Long March 3B lofts Gaofen-13

nasaspaceflight.com ^ | October 11, 2020 | by Rui C. Barbosa

[BenLurkin]

China launched a new geostationary remote sensing satellite from the renovated Xichang Satellite Launch Center on Sunday. A Long March-3B/G3 (Y3) – Chang Zheng-3B/G3 – rocket orbited the Gaofen-13 satellite, lifting off from the LC2 pad at 16:57 UTC.

The new satellite, possibly an improved version of the CAST developed Gaofen-4 orbited on December 28, 2015, is being designated as a high-orbit optical remote sensing satellite to be mainly used for land survey, crop yield estimation, environmental management, weather warning and forecast, and comprehensive disaster prevention and mitigation, providing information services for national economic development.

However, some rumors indicate that the new bird could also be an optical reconnaissance satellite operating in geostationary orbit.

Developed from the Chang Zheng-3A, the Chang Zheng-3B is the most powerful launch vehicle on the Chinese space launch fleet.

The CZ-3B features enlarged launch propellant tanks, improved computer systems, a larger 4.2-meter diameter payload fairing, and four strap-on boosters in the core stage that provide additional help during the first phase of the launch.

The rocket can launch an 11,200 kg satellite to a low Earth orbit or a 5,100 kg cargo to a geosynchronous transfer orbit.

[BenLurkin]

[rdl6989]

Icbm

[sauropod]

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[CurlyDave]

...However, some rumors indicate that the new bird could also be an optical reconnaissance satellite operating in geostationary orbit...

1. If it is geostationary over China it is not going to do much reconnaissance of other countries.

2.Optical reconnaissance satellites tend to be in lower orbits because geostationary is too high to get good resolution.

[Darteaus94025]

“Optical reconnaissance satellites tend to be in lower orbits because geostationary is too high to get good resolution.”

Unless they built something along the lines of a Hubble or better.