China to launch high-res Earth-observation satellite

BEIJING -- China will launch the first satellite for its high-resolution system for Earth observation in April, a government agency revealed Thursday.

Examinations of the satellite and its carrier rocket, the Long March 2D, have been completed and the satellite is now in the launch stage, according to the State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense (SATIND).

China plans to launch five to six satellites before the end of 2015 in order to build a spatial, temporal and spectral high-resolution observation system.

The system will mainly provide services for the Ministry of Land and Resources, Ministry of Agriculture and Ministry of Environmental Protection, and is expected to help reduce disasters, protect resources,the environment and national security, as well as support geographic and oceanic surveys and urban transportation management, the SATIND said.

It will also enhance China's ability to obtain high-resolution observation data and accelerate its development of satellite application technologies, the SATIND said.