Geostationary weather satellite to serve B&R countries

China has released the first set of images and data from its new generation Fengyun-4A geostationary weather satellite, marking an upgrade of its meteorological satellites in geostationary orbit.

Fengyun-4A, which was launched in last December from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in southwest China’s Sichuan province, is the first of the second-generation geostationary meteorological satellite.

Fengyun-4A is capable of capturing 160 times more images and data than the previous Fengyun satellites.

The Fengyun-4A is the latest independently developed weather satellite, with multiple scientific breakthroughs, said Tian Yulong, chief engineer of the State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense (SASTIND). Four new instruments are onboard, namely, Advanced Geosynchronous Radiation Imager (AGRI), Geosynchronous Interferometric Infrared Sounder (GIIRS), Lightning Mapping Imager (LMI) and Space Environment Package (SEP).

FY-4A can make high time, spatial and spectral resolution observations of the atmosphere, clouds and space environment of China and surrounding regions, significantly improving weather warning and forecasting capability.

FY-4A is the first satellite in China which can capture lightning. The Imager takes 500 lightning pictures per second. 

The Fengyun-4A is currently in the testing phase, and will be put into use in June or July this year.

It is expected to support various weather-related services, including weather forecasting, disaster prevention and reduction, monitoring and warning of space weather; in areas of meteorology, water conservancy, agriculture, environment, energy, aviation and oceans.

It will provide high-resolution meteorological satellite data for countries and regions along the Belt and Road Initiative routes and play an important role in building disaster-prevention system.