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China recently launched a new satellite as part of its fleet of meteorological spacecraft. The satellite, named Fengyun-3F, was launched from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the Gobi Desert. It replaces the Fengyun-3C satellite, which was launched in 2013.

The Fengyun-3F satellite is equipped with 10 payloads for weather data collection, including new instruments for tracking ozone. It has a mass of approximately 5,070 pounds and is expected to operate for around a decade.

Developed by the state-owned Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology (SAST), the satellite will be used to collect data for climate change, atmospheric chemistry, and atmospheric environment research. It will orbit in a nearly circular path at an altitude of 501 miles with an inclination of 98 degrees.

This orbit allows the satellite to pass close to the poles and cross the equator at 10:00 a.m. local time, making it ideal for “morning orbit” operations. China is currently the only country with four near-Earth orbit meteorological satellites in different orbits.

The launch of Fengyun-3F is China’s 32nd orbital launch of the year. The country has ambitious plans to launch approximately 200 spacecraft on Long March rockets in 2023. Additionally, Chinese commercial launches will send more satellites into space.

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