China launches world's first high-orbit synthetic aperture radar satellite

China on early August 13 sent a new satellite into space, the China National Space Administration (CNSA) announced on August 13.

The satellite, L-SAR4 01, was launched at 1:26 a.m. Beijing Time on a Long March-3B carrier rocket from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in southwest China's Sichuan Province, and then entered its planned orbit successfully, CGTN reports.

The satellite is also the world's first high-orbit synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellite entering the project implementation stage, and it will be mainly used to provide remote sensing information services.

Compared with low-orbit satellites and optical satellites, the L-SAR4 01 satellite has advantages of short high-orbit observation revisit period and wide imaging width with microwave observation that are not limited by climate (all-weather) and light (all-day).

It will improve the identification accuracy and efficiency of disaster abnormal change information, and enhance the comprehensive prevention and control capabilities of natural disasters.

In this case, the satellite will further improve China's space-based disaster monitoring system, which is of great significance for the improvement of the country's disaster prevention, mitigation and relief, said the CNSA.

Sunday's launch was the 483rd flight mission of the Long March carrier rocket series.