Huanjing (satellite)

China plans to launch eleven Huanjing (Chinese: 环境) satellites for disaster and environmental monitoring ("huanjing" is Chinese for "environment"). The satellites will be capable of visible, infrared, multi-spectral and synthetic-aperture radar imaging.^[1]

The first two satellites, Huanjing-1A and Huanjing-1B, were launched on 6 September 2008 on a Long March 2C rocket from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center.^[2] In a report dated 3 September 2008, the Associated Press of Pakistan indicated the launch would be conducted 5 September 2008 using a Long March 2C launch vehicle.^[3] On 5 September 2008, Aviation Week reported the first launch would be of optical imaging satellites.^[4]

Huanjing-1C was launched on 16 November 2012 on a Long March 2C rocket from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center. It is the first civilian Chinese remote sensing satellite to use a synthetic-aperture radar as imaging instrument. This S-band synthetic-aperture radar (SAR) was manufactured in Russia by NPO Mashinostroyeniya.^[5]

The two satellites, Huanjing-2A and Huanjing-2B, were launched on 27 September 2020 at 03:23 UTC on a Long March 4B launch vehicle from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center. The satellites "provide services concerning environmental protection, natural resources, water conservancy, agriculture and forestry", Xinhua said.^[6]