A Long March-4B rocket carrying the Fengyun-3 07 satellite blasts off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China, April 16, 2023. (PHOTO / XINHUA)
BEIJING — The meteorological satellite, Fengyun-4B (FY-4B), has succeeded FY-4A and resumed its operations on Tuesday after almost a month of drift and adjustment, according to China Meteorological Administration.
FY-4B started drifting from 133 degrees east longitude on Feb 1 this year, and arrived at the geostationary orbit at 105 degrees east longitude on Feb 19. The scope monitored by FY-4B has moved further westward after its orbit was adjusted, enabling it to better serve more Belt and Road countries.
FY-4B was launched by a Long March-3B rocket from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in Sichuan province on June 3, 2021
FY-4B is currently in its optimal state with the well-operated satellite-Earth system and the optimized technical performance, said Zheng Xudong, an official with the National Satellite Meteorological Center.
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He said that it can achieve a temporal-spatial resolution of 250 meters within one minute, providing more powerful technical supports for disastrous weather monitoring and forecasting.
Next, FY-4A and its ground system will keep operating while its work intensity will be gradually reduced, he added.
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FY-4B was launched by a Long March-3B rocket from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in Sichuan province on June 3, 2021. It has formed a network with FY-4A, which was launched into space in Dec 2016, to provide more accurate and faster weather data.