This Yuanwang-6 was found in Shanghai in December, 2007. Some resources said that it is greatly improved in commanding and controlling system.
Yuanwang series Satellite Tracking Ships were firstly designed to support PLA's ICBM testing programmes and then now mainly carry the satellite and spaceship tracking mission.
At present, Yuanwang-5 is the newest ship in Yuanwang family. YW-5 was launched on 15 September 2006 and entered PLA Navy in 2007. Now YW-5 is involving the "Chang'e Lunar Satellite" programme.
In future, China is planning to launch TL Data Reply satellites to replace some control functions of Yuanwang ships, because Data Reply satellites surely have greater performance in China's manned space station and other deep space explorations.
On September 19, "ZY-1"02B Satellite was successfully launched by CZ-4B Rocket from Taiyuan Launch Center. 10 days after, Chinese aeronautics experts show some interested information about the newest sino-brazil remote sensing satellite.
With ZY-1 No. 01 and 02 stars, 02B satellite's most noticeable improvement is a high-resolution CCD imaging camera, which has a 2.37 meter resolution on 778-kilometer high orbit. The image width is 27-km. Although the 2-meter level resolution is only available in black-and-white panchromatic images, it still can be reverted as false-color image under clients' demands.
From the mono-color 2-m resolution satellite image displayed by Chinese experts, people can clearly differentiate automobiles running on the highways, vessels on Yangtze River and airplanes on ground. Chinese experts even told that CRESDA (China Center for Resource Satellite Data and Applications)is going to be follow the lead of "GoogleEarth" to produce a country-scale image database and 3D Simulation map for Internet surfers' browsing.
Beside greatly improved image resolution, "ZY-1"02B satellite also has distinguished upgrade in positioning precision of ground objects. Previous "ZY-1"01 and "ZY-1"02's image has about 5-km warp to real world position and "ZY-1"02 has shrunk this error under 3-km level. But now "ZY-1"02B has technological breakthrough to realize 350-meter level. The main reason is that satellite is installed with a space-borne GPS receiver and star sensor。GPS can strictly locate exact position and orbit of satellite, then satellite star sensor can determine the star's posture to help project the picture on the right geometry position
Obviously, ZY-102B's excellent performance of hi-resolution imaging CCD camera and ground accurate position system bring a fairly meaning strategic value.
In Chinese experts' opinions, China's R&D of civilian remote sensing satellite is equal to France. And from this estimation, it can be extracted that Chinese military imaging satellite, such as recently launched "Yaogan-2" satellite, is about in 0.6-1 meter resolution level and compares with French's Helios 1B imaging satellite.
The production of ZY-102B totally incorporates 16 sub-systems, which are separately taken charge by China and Brazil. Now it has been known that China is responsible for observing device and satellite control, and Brazil for structure design and satellite-borne power system. The agreement of zy-103 and Zy-104 satellites has been affirmative in both countries’ governments. So far ZY-103 star has been assembly a sampler star for thermal control test and electrical measurement in Brazil. INPE (Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas Espaciais) has eagerly expressed its wish of continuous cooperation with China in ZY-1-05 and ZY-1-06 satellites in future.
(my previous news story publish in Jane's Defense Weekly)
China successful launched "Yaogan-2" satellite on last Friday and this event has disclosed that China is expanding its reconnaissance satellite system in full speed. April 27th last year, "Yaogan-1" satellite was launched.
Actually, the name "Taogan" (Remote-Sensing) is a modified designation for opening news. As matter of fact, the "Yaogan-1" satellite is JB (JianBing)-5 SAR reconnaissance satellite, which produced by N0.8 Research Institute of China Aerospace
Science and Technology Corporation(CASC); and the "Yaogan-2" is JB-6(FWS-2) digital imaging spy satellite made by CASC's N0.5 Research Institute.
The family of JianBing series satellite can be traced to 1975 and now exists for 32 years. Before 2006, China has totally launched 25 JB spy satellites with 4 generations, including JB-1 (No.1-No3 recoverable satellites, 3 days
life), JB-1A(No.4-No.9 returnable satellite, 5 days life), JB-1B(No.10,No.11,No12,No14,No15 returnable satellites, 8 days life), JB-2(No.13,No.16,No.17 returnable satellites, 15 days on orbit), JB-3(ZY-2 3 satellites , 2-3 years life) and JB-4 (No.18-No.22 returnable satellites, 27 days life).
JB-3 is a testing space SAR system and includes 3 stars. JB-3 has become an experimental platform of distributed military SBR (Space Based Radar), which is listed in the national "863" projects. JB-5 is China's first practicable Space real-time SAR reconnaissance satellite. And JB-6 is China's most advanced decimeter-level digital imagine reconnaissance satellite, which uses China's Off-axis Three-mirror Reflective Optical System and high-speed real-time
motion picture compressing encoding technology. This encoding technology will later used in lunar observing, Shenzhou-7 partner micro satellite and HuanJing-1 (Circumstance-1 or HJ-1) 2+1 constellation.
HJ-1 is a back-up for JB satellites, including 2 small imaging spy satellites and 1 SAR satellite. The primary star will be launched in the latter half of 2007. HJ-1 system is a formation flying and distributing constellation for tracing aircraft carrier group. China's plan is to build a 4+4 constellation through international cooperation. Finally HJ-1 can help partner countries to monitor the naval forces on their peripheral sea area. Iran, Pakistan, Brazil and Egypt are probably the potential clients of China.
According to schedule, China will launch JB-7 SAR satellite in 2008 and JB-8 imaging satellite in 2009. In 2010 when China in 11th five-year-plan, the 2nd generation SAR satellite will carried to space by LM-4D rocket.
China has pay much on PLA military satellites. Besides reconnaissance satellites, China has designed ST-1 (Chinasat-20) strategic Communication satellite, FH-1 (Chinasat-20) tactic communication satellite, BD/compass guidance satellite, TL-1 Data Reply satellite. From the launching of Nigeria Communication satellite, it is obvious that China will have power to bring more developing countries into military satellite club.
