China launches second Olympic weather satellite

Experts said the data collected by the satellite would not only facilitate weather forecast in China but also in other countries.

China Meteorological Administration (CMA), in cooperation with Swedish meteorological authorities, had established a data collection terminal at the north pole to transmit data collected by the FY-3, according to an official with the National Satellite Meteorological Center (NSMC), which is affiliated with the CMA.

The World Meteorological Organization had said it would use data offered by China's FY-3, Europe's METOP and U.S. NPOESS to detect changes of the atmosphere, the ocean and the ground surface, said the official.

The 2,295-kilogram satellite will provide accurate and timely information about weather changes to facilitate more precise weather forecasts during the Beijing Olympic Games, said a CMA official earlier.

A second Olympic weather forecasting satellite, the Fengyun-3 (FY-3), is launched on a Long March-4C carrier rocket from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in northern Shanxi Province, May 27, 2008. (Photo credit: Xinhua)

The CMA official said the new satellite, with a bigger payload, would provide medium-range weather forecasts up to 10 to 15 days.

Zheng Guoguang, director of the CMA, said the FY-3 would work with the existing FY-2 to ensure timely weather forecast during the Olympics.

Both the satellite and the rocket are developed by the Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology affiliated to the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation.

The launch was the 106th mission of China's Long March series of rockets since April 24, 1970, when a Long March-1 rocket successfully sent China's first satellite Dongfanghong-1 into the space.

China has launched eight meteorological satellites since research started in the 1970s. Its first Olympic weather forecasting satellite, the FY-2D, was launched towards the end of 2006.

The CMA has identified weather forecast services for the Olympic Games as "a priority" for this year as the country may face much more frequent adverse weather.

It has announced earlier that China will launch another 22 meteorological satellites by 2020, including four more from the Fengyun-2 series, 12 from the Fengyun-3 series and six from Fengyun-4 series.