China has launched five small remote-sensing satellites aboard a Long March 11. The satellites will join the Zhuhai-1 micro-satellite constellation which provides video, hyperspectral and high-resolution imaging.
The Long March 11 rocket was launched from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center at 06:42 UTC this morning. Following a successful launch, Chinese news agency Xinhuanet confirmed that all five satellites had been deployed into their respective sun-synchronous orbits.
The five new Zhuhai-1 Group-3 satellites, each with an approximate launch mass of 90 kilograms include four hyperspectral satellites and one video imaging satellite. The hyperspectral satellites each have a potential ground resolution of 10 meters and a swath width of around 150 kilometers. The video satellite offers high-resolution video capture with a spatial resolution of 0.9 meters and a swath width of 22.5 kilometers.
The Zhuhai-1 constellation is being developed and maintained by Zhuhai Orbita Aerospace Science and Technology. The company launched the first operational units of the constellation in 2017. Once complete, the constellation will be comprised of 34 micro-nano satellites.
