China’s Gaofen satellite collects high-resolution images of Earth

A photo of the Beijing Daxing International Airport taken by Gaofen-7. CNSA Photo

The China National Space Administration on Dec. 10 released the first batch of 22 three-dimensional images based on the data collected by the recently launched Gaofen-7 Earth observation satellite.

The 22 images show the Beijing Capital International Airport, the new Beijing Daxing International Airport, as well as some regions in China's Anhui, Guangdong and Shandong provinces.

The Gaofen-7 satellite is China’s first civil-use optical transmission three-dimensional surveying and mapping satellite. It can realize a scale of 1:10,000, satisfying China’s urgent need in surveying and mapping, urban and rural construction, statistical investigation, and traffic monitoring.

Since the satellite was launched into space on Nov. 3 and started to work two days later, the Gaofen-7 satellite has acquired about 14,000 image of Earth.

The Gaofen satellite has become an important project in China's national space administration. The project helps the country achieve all-weather and all-day observation of Earth.

The Gaofen project has increased the resolution of China's low-earth orbit remote sensing satellites from 2.1 meters to 0.65 meter, and the resolution of China's geostationary orbit remote sensing satellites from kilometer-level to 50 meters.

The project has helped reduce China's reliance on foreign remote sensing satellite data, replacing almost 80 percent of foreign data. Data from the Gaofen satellite has been widely used in more than 20 industries across China.

The project has also promoted China's aerospace cooperation with countries including Russia, Brazil, Egypt and India, and helped serve countries participating in the Belt and Road Initiative.