xijinping's new strategic breakthrough coming Satellite Anti-Stealth

[pusy2rights]

So call stealth is history already for new radars. But yet another new element is added, that detection will be done further from space above. That Chinese says their new technological development will make all stealth planes just alike flying NUDE.

Chinese are rapidly launching new satellites, and each time they have new versions and improvements, and many hidden functions are not disclosed to outsiders. So called stealth are only made to essentially reduce radar reflections against surface radars, or radars from below these planes. Satellites however are making detection from TOP VIEW and looking down on these planes, which are not designed at all to avoid detection from above.

It makes no difference from weather above or below these detection and tracking were made, as long as the targets shows on computer screens linked by command & control networks, and cockpit displays. It is hitting the missiles buttons to deal with these targets, that's all.

http://mil.news.sina.com.cn/jssd/2017-12-14/doc-ifyptkyk4415482.shtml

中国正研一超级技术可令隐身机裸奔 英媒:将改写规则
2017年12月14日 08:53 新浪军事

0

　　中国作为世界前三的航天大国，各种监测系统、卫星越来越先进，尤其是雷达和电子系统。甚至追赶了美国。

　　目前，我国卫星已经具备了成套的系统，最厉害的就是三星定位技术。三星定位技术是美国首创，美国研制成功，将它运用于卫星之上，可以直接检测到海面上航母的各种动向，并且精确度非常的高。

　　虽说是步了美国的后尘，但是效果一点都不差，而且目前还算是世界领先。毕竟世界上拥有这样成套卫星系统的国家只有三个。中国目前准备将这个系统主要应用在印太海面上面。

吉林一号
　　而这套系统中，比较著名的就是吉林一号。吉林一号作为我国第一个军民融合卫星项目，目前还在继续加产，已经达到了八颗。其覆盖的程度也比之前大了很多，不管是从精确度还是速度来说都非常不错，不仅如此，甚至还有一颗卫星可以进行彩色成像。

　　并且这些卫星几乎每隔一周，就会在全国境内进行一次全面检查，这种检查对我国的国防安全也做出了突出的贡献。

B-2“幽灵”轰炸机
　　另外据英国媒体报道称，中国还研发一种新型卫星，这种卫星将在10年内使中国拥有跟踪美国B-2“幽灵”轰炸机等隐形目标的能力。中国这将改写空中的规则。

　　报道称，这种新型设备将使中国能够识别并监视几乎所有目前在夜间无法从太空看见的飞机。同时，中国计划投入足够的资金，以在2020年之前研制出这种卫星的原型机，在2025年之前测试这项新技术，在2030年之前进行部署。

　　英媒援引谷歌CEO的观点表示，“到21世纪中期，中国拥有将一支世界级的军队”同时他还警告称，中国的人工智能战略将使中国在未来任何与美国的战争中处于优势。（作者署名：前沿哨所）

 

[Shut Up you are Not MM]

http://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zon...host-imaging-satellite-to-detect-stealth-jets


China Says It's Building a "Ghost Imaging" Satellite to Detect Stealth Jets
The complex physics behind the system work in principle, but building an operational system is easier said than done.
By Joseph TrevithickNovember 29, 2017

• The War Zone
• B-2
• B-21
• China
• counter-stealth
• electro-optical
• ghost imaging
• infrared
• ISR
• laser imaging
• low frequency radar
• low-observable
• quantum physics
• radar imaging
• space
• spy satellites
• stealth

USAF
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Chinese scientists claim they are working towards building an advanced spy satellite that could use something of a physics trick to spot stealth planes from space. This complex "ghost imaging" camera is the latest in a string of reportedly “game changing” developments in China to counter low-observable aircraft, all of which have significant limitations and face serious developmental challenges.

On Nov. 26, 2017, the South China Morning Post reported that scientists at multiple research institutions were working on a ghost imaging sensor that would work on a satellite. Gong Wenlin, the director of research at the Key Laboratory for Quantum Optics at the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Shanghai, said he expected his team to build a prototype by 2020, test it in space by 2025, and have a finalized, operational design ready by 2030.

The B-21's Three Decade Old Shape Hints At New High Altitude CapabilitiesBy Tyler Rogoway Posted in The War Zone
Document Confirms B-21 To Be Delivered Optionally Manned And Nuclear CapableBy Tyler Rogoway and Joseph Trevithick Posted in The War Zone
China Shows Off Hypersonic Vehicle Test Model After US Navy Weapon TestBy Joseph Trevithick Posted in The War Zone
Audio From The 1999 Shoot Down Of F-117 "Vega 31" Over Serbia Is ChillingBy Tyler Rogoway Posted in The War Zone
The Future Of Stealth Is "Morphing Wing" Technology, But Will The B-21 Feature It?By Tyler Rogoway Posted in The War Zone
“We have beat them [the United States] on the ground,” Gong boasted, noting that the U.S. military was working along similar lines. “We have confidence to beat them again in space.”

The basic principles behind ghost imaging is well established and researchers around the world have been looking into the technique for more than two decades now. At its most basic, the concept is in many ways the reverse of a traditional camera, with a pair of sensors coupled with a computer algorithm working together to essentially look for what isn’t there rather than what is. The complete arrangement looks for subtle differences in the interaction between two distinct sets of photons, particles of light, that otherwise operate identically regardless of how far they are apart, a phenomenon called quantum entanglement.

The video below offers a detailed, scientific explanation of how ghost imaging and quantum entanglement work.


In a traditional camera, photons of light will bounce off an object, pass through the lens, and then land on either a strip of physical film or a digital sensor. In experimental ghost imaging cameras, there are two beams of laser light split from a single source emitting particles at the same speed, with one passing over an object before hitting a “bucket” that records the impact. The other beam goes to a regular camera. A computer program looks at both data sets, but only records only the photons that hit both the bucket and the camera at the same time, creating a silhouette or “ghost” of the object in question.

One key goal of research into such a system for more widespread field use is to develop optical cameras that can see through clouds, smoke, dust, and other obscuring particles. This is a particular issue for electro-optical imaging satellites, where overcast skies and other environmental factors can easily blur or block the desired view.

Presently, the alternatives include synthetic aperture radar and laser imaging, both of which can produce relatively detailed images at long ranges. These systems are both limited to producing still imagery.

US Army
An "ghost image" of a toy soldier from a US Army test.

The same principle could, at least in theory, provide an option for monitoring the movements of stealth aircraft, even under the added cover of darkness, giving extra notice of potential attacks. But as simple as this might sound, turning this concept into a viable sensor is easier said than done.

Putting the system on a satellite could impose significant limitations from the start. Many spy satellites by their very nature follow regular orbits and it can take a long to reposition them. This could result in significant expenditure or resources to build a broad constellation covering a wide area. But such a system is more likely to be placed in geostationary orbit, providing persistent coverage over a certain region of the globe. American surveillance satellites, including infrared missile warning systems like SBIRS, use a similar concept.

Since a ghost imaging system still relies on optical cameras and light sources, it is possible that an opponent could try and blind or otherwise confuse the sensors with their own laser beams or other photon emitters.

China itself has tested a number of anti-satellite ballistic missiles. These already include physical interceptors, but reports suggest that various countries, including Russia and the United States, are developing small autonomous mini-satellites that could either repair or destroy space-based assets. Electronic warfare and cyber attacks against any associated ground-based infrastructure, especially data links from the satellite to ground control stations and other communications nodes, could slow or halt the distribution of any ghost imagery.

CNN's War In Space special, which you can watch in full below, remains one of the better explainers available on the growing potential for conflict in that domain.

This in turn would delay the ability of command centers, air defense headquarters, or other elements to examine the information and initiate an appropriate response. And these are just the systems we know about.

But perhaps most importantly, the underlying science remains largely theoretical. Xiong Jun, a professor of physics who studied quantum optics at Beijing Normal University, told the South China Morning Post that a space-based ghost imaging sensor relying on natural light would need to scan the entire target area in nanoseconds to create an accurate picture. If it used a laser as in typical laboratory setups, the system could need a substantial amount of power to make sure the beams of light could even reach the target area from orbit, he added.

USAF
A B-2 bomber seen from almost directly above.

The same issues could apply to a ground-based system using similar physics principles. In September 2016, China Electronics Technology Group Corporation (CETC) claimed it had developed a so-called counter-stealth "quantum radar."

A traditional radar emits a beam of electromagnetic energy, which then bounces off the target, registering their position. A quantum radar does the same thing, but with streams of quantum entangled photons, which existing radar absorbent materials and low observable features would not be able to defeat. In theory, the light particles might even be able to record other aspects of the object, including the density of its component materials.

Again, even Chinese researchers were skeptical about the practicality of such system outside of a laboratory environment. “[I have] not seen anything like this in an open report,” Ma Xiaosong, a physics professor at Nanjing University, told the South China Morning Post at the time.

Though it would not be impossible to build such a system, Ma said basic physics issues could be difficult to scientists and engineers to overcome. The biggest issue is the tendency of photons to break free of their quantum entanglement at long distnace, another physics phonemenon known as "decoherence."

USAF
A B-2 bomber.

On top of that, fixed-position, land-based ghost imaging sensors and quantum radars would be a prime target during the opening salvos of an enemy attack. A time-sensitive strike using hypersonic weapons, another area of steady advancement both in China and elsewhere, or even more traditional stealthy cruise missiles could neutralize these defenses before they could come into play. Any ground-based system linked to a networked air defense system would be susceptible to electronic warfare and cyber attacks just like a satellite, too.

And many of these same limitations apply to low frequency radars, which the Chinese, along with the Russians and the Iranians, have increasingly touted as anti-stealth tools. The large arrays have limited if any mobility and present largely static targets for stand-off attacks. The long wavelengths may be able to detect the presence of a stealth aircraft within a broad area, but would not necessarily be able to plot a particularly accurate position to make the information useful yet alone provide an engagement quality radar track of the target, either.

Imaginechina via AP
China's JY-27A, a low frequency radar it says can readily detect stealth aircraft.

Even with the low frequency modifications they made to their targeting radars, the Serbian air defenders who shot down an F-117 Nighthawk – a stealth design dating to the 1970s – over Serbia in 1999 only claimed they could detect the plane when its bomb bay doors opened. In addition, they insisted that they had intercepted communications transmissions that allowed them to position their surface-to-air missiles in the best possible locations to intercept the aircraft.

The B-2 bomber, which Gong, the research director at Key Laboratory for Quantum Optics, told the South China Morning Post, would be a key target of the future ghost imaging system, has a stealth shape and low-observable features that Northrop Grumman devised in the 1980s. As the firm’s top secret B-21 Raider stealth bomber will undoubtedly incorporate new technological advances to reduce the aircraft’s radar, infrared, acoustic, and other signatures even more.

Still, “the theory of ghost imaging has been well established and understood,” Xiong, the physics professor at Beijing Normal University, noted to the South China Morning Post. “The speed of application very much depends on the [Chinese] government and the amount of money it’s willing to spend.”

But the U.S. Air Force expects to have the first operational B-21 unit ready by the mid-2020s. Gong says that even if everything goes according to his plan, China’s prototype ghost imaging satellite will still be in testing at that point.

Contact the author: [email protected]

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[Shut Up you are Not MM]

https://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/wo...s-catch-united-states-military-stealth-planes

'Combat ready' China races to build GHOST spy satellites to ‘catch’ US stealth planes

TOP Chinese scientists are developing spy satellites with fresh military tech that could change warfare forever.


By Anders Anglesey / Published 27th November 2017
“We have beat them on the ground. We have confidence to beat them again in space”

Gong Wenline
Their Quantum ghost imaging technology aims to detect the hardest to track aircraft being deployed today.

The sensor would be capable of tracking “invisible” US stealth bombers that carry out nighttime missions, according to experts.

Northrop Grumman B-2 Spirit bombers are currently the only planes that can strike enemy targets without being picked up by radar systems.

But the Chinese system aims to detect planes using the sun and special laser beams.

GETTY

DETECTION: The spy satellite will pick up US bombers
F35 Lightning: the UK's new STATE OF THE ART fighter jet

Meet the UK's new stealth fighter jet. Using state of the art technology, this plane is designed for air-to-air and air-to-ground warfare, operating from air bases or aircraft carriers
1 / 47

Lockheed Martin


Gong Wenline, research director at the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Shanghai, said darkness, haze and other elements would no longer hide any aircraft.

He said: “A ghost imaging satellite will reveal more details than the most advanced radar satellite.

“Each detection method has its unique advantages . It depends on the circumstances and nature of the mission as to which one should be used, if not all of them.”

Mr Wenline added: “We have beat them on the ground. We have confidence to beat them again in space.”

 

[Shut Up you are Not MM]

http://nationalinterest.org/blog/th...ia-plan-crush-americas-stealth-aircraft-13708

This Is How China and Russia Plan to Crush America's Stealth Aircraft

Zachary Keck
August 26, 2015

TweetShareShare

Both China and Russia appear to be building unmanned aerial vehicles designed to negate America’s advantages in stealth aircraft.

Earlier this year, photos first emerged of a new High Altitude, Long Endurance (HALE) UAV termed the Divine Eagle that foreign observers believe is designed to detect and eliminate stealth enemy aircraft far from the Chinese mainland.

As Jeffrey Lin and P.W. Singer wrote back in May:

“[The Divine Eagle’s] long range anti-stealth capabilities can be used against both aircraft, like the B-2 bomber, and warships such as the DDG-1000 destroyer. Using the Divine Eagle as a picket, the Chinese air force could quickly intercept stealthy enemy aircraft, missiles and ships well before they come in range of the Mainland. Flying high, the Divine Eagle could also detect anti-ship missile trucks and air defenses on land, in preparation for offensive Chinese action.”

Russia appears to be designing a similar system, according to Flight Global.

While at the MAKS show in Moscow this week, Flight Global spoke with Vladimir Mikheev, the first deputy chief executive officer of the electronic systems producer KRET, about a new UAV being shown at the show, which KRET is a subcontractor on. During the interview, Mikheev said the new (thus far, unnamed UAV) is similar to China’s Divine Eagle in that it uses low frequency radars to detect low-observable stealth aircraft like the F-35, F-22 and B-2 bomber. Most stealth aircraft are created to evade high-frequency radar systems.

The Russian UAV goes a step further by integrating a sophisticated electronic warfare suite onto the aircraft. According to Flight Global, “Mikheev says KRET is providing a deeply-integrated electronic warfare system that not only provides a protective electromagnetic sphere around the aircraft to counter air-to-air missiles, but also cloaks it from radars.” Thus, if true, Russia’s new UAV would be able to detect America’s stealth aircraft without itself being detected. That could be a deadly combination.

Some in the U.S. military are already planning for a day in which stealth becomes mostly obsolete. As The National Interest previously noted, when discussing what America’s sixth generation fighter jet might look like back in February, Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Jonathan Greenert said that stealth may be overrated.

“You can only go so fast, and you know that stealth may be overrated.... Let's face it, if something moves fast through the air, disrupts molecules and puts out heat—I don't care how cool the engine can be, it's going to be detectable. You get my point."

It was not the first time that Greenert had questioned the long-term viability of stealth technology. In a 2012 paper, for instance, he said that better computing power would ultimately greatly undermine the value of stealth.

"Those developments do not herald the end of stealth, but they do show the limits of stealth design in getting platforms close enough to use short-range weapons," Greenert wrote at the time, according to the Navy Times.

"It is time to consider shifting our focus from platforms that rely solely on stealth to also include concepts for operating farther from adversaries using standoff weapons and unmanned systems — or employing electronic-warfare payloads to confuse or jam threat sensors rather than trying to hide from them."

Dave Majumdar has also observed on The National Interest that, “Russia and China are already working on new networked air defenses coupled with new radars operating in the UHF and VHF-bands that threaten to neutralize America’s massive investment in fifth-generation fighters. Fighter-sized stealth aircraft are only optimized to perform against high-frequency fire control band radars operating in the Ku, X, C and portions of the S-band.”

Not everyone completely agrees, however. For example, in response to Greenert’s comments about the stealth capabilities of America’s future 6th Generation fighter, Gen. Hawk Carlisle, the head of Air Combat Command, said that stealth will continue to be "hugely important."

“Stealth is wonderful, but you have to have more than stealth," Carlisle said, according to the Air Force Times. "You have to have fusion, you have to have different capabilities across the spectrum. It will be incredibly important. It won't be the only key attribute, and it isn't today."

Zachary Keck is managing editor of The National Interest. You can find him on Twitter: @ZacharyKeck.

 

[syed putra]

Try to detect s small plane from a geoststionary satellite thousands of kilometres above? Not likely.

 

[tun_dr_m]

Try to detect s small plane from a geoststionary satellite thousands of kilometres above? Not likely.

It is already possible from thousands of kilos. But in the 1st place spy satellites can fly a low as 100km. Low orbits are no longer quite useful, because they zap past the area of observation in a very short duration, and can come back to the same area after one whole round around the globe. Chinese military now use GSO satellites 35,786 km above. The advantage is the satellite views entire Pacific at all time and moves exactly as globe self-rotation, 3 such satellites can view whole globe in combination. This means they continuously stare without blinking and track all movements continuously. Resolution is better than 1 meter, 0.5m (Gao Fen 9) for visible lights. F-22 length is 19m so on the image taken by Chinese GSO satellite each F-22 is about 38X28 pixels. Following shows how clear and identifiable is F-22 at this size. I think no problem at all to detect and identify any USAF planes from existing Chinese satellite.

The following write up used the term GEO which GEO is a particular kind of GSO, I used the term GSO because I am more generally speaking not limited to Gao Fen. Gao Fen is GEO meaning it's orbit be Equatorial. Geostationary can be Equatorial plane or Polar plane orbits or others.

https://www.popsci.com/gaofen-4-wor...ontinues-chinas-great-leap-forward-into-space


Gaofen 4, The World's Most Powerful GEO Spy Satellite, Continues China's Great Leap Forward Into Space
An Eternal Eye on the China Seas
By Jeffrey Lin and P.W. Singer posted Jan 8th, 2016 at 7:00am

Journey's Start

The Gaofen 4 was launched on December 28, 2015 from Xichang in central China, on a CZ-3B/Long March 3 rocket, to a geosynchronous orbit 22,000 miles above the Earth.

=GT at China Defense Forum

On December 28, 2015, a Long March 3B/G2 rocket launched from Xichang and lofted into space the 4.6 ton Gaofen-4 imaging satellite.

Gaofen 4 Orbit

The GEO orbit of Gaofen 4 means that it can maintain continuous coverage of Chinese territory and surrounding areas. It's also the most powerful GEO satellite, good enough to track aircraft carriers in near real time from space.

Nasaspaceflight.com

Billed as a disaster relief satellite, the Gaofen 4 was placed in Geosynchronous Orbit (GEO). GEO satellites constantly stay above a patch of Earth, thus providing constant 24 hour surveillance of a geographic area. By contrast, low earth orbit (LEO) satellites such as the U.S. KH-11 spy satellites are closer to the Earth, so their speed exceeds that of the Earth's rotation (meaning that they cannot maintain continuous surveillance over specific locations). In the Gaofen 4's case, its range of view is a 7,000km by 7,000km box of 49 million square kilometers of Asian land and water in and around China.

Gaofen 4

The 4.6 ton Gaofen 4 is the most powerful GEO spy satellite, with a imaging resolution of under 50 meters in color, and 400 meters for thermal imaging.

CCTV 13

The Gaofen 4 is the world's most powerful GEO spy satellite. It has a color image resolution of slightly less than 50 meters (which is enough to track aircraft carriers by their wake at sea) and a thermal imaging resolution of 400m (good for spotting forest fires). It may also have a lower resolution video streaming capacity. Because of its round-the-clock coverage of Chinese territory and near aboard, Gaofen 4 can provide instant coverage of earthquake or typhoon hit areas to support humanitarian relief. It will also allow China to monitor strategic foreign sites such as WMD facilities and naval bases inside its observation box.

The High Ground

As a high orbiting GEO satellite, the Gaofen 4 would be very difficult to attack with anti-satellite weapons.

ChinaSpaceflight.com

Jilin Constellation

When the Jilin satellite constellation is completed in 2030, it will have 138 small satellites that provide a snapshot of any place on Earth every ten minutes.

Jilin Provincial Government

The satellite is part of the dual use China High-Resolution Earth Observation System (CHEOS), which already has five other satellites (Gaofen 1, 2, 3, 5 and 8). This fits within a larger program of radar, imaging, hyperspectral and atmosphere monitoring satellites that will support Chinese civilian missions like agriculture, construction, disaster relief and climate change monitoring. Of course, the Chinese Aerospace Force (a new branch of the PLA following its December 2015 reorganization) could easily make use of such satellites during Chinese military operations. Also of interest is the Jilin LEO imaging satellites (sponsored by the Jilin Provincial government); the first four Jilin satellites launched in October 2015 and already have 80cm imaging resolution. By 2030, the Jilin constellation will have 138 imaging, high-resolution small satellites that provide all weather coverage of any point on Earth, at 10 minute intervals.

GEO Spy Satellite

This scientific article by Beijing Institute of Space Mechanics and Electricity's Zhang Yue, Wang Chao, Su Yuan and Jiao Jianchao, describes temperature control on a 20+ meter diameter mirror made of optical membrane foil (a smaller satellite can unfold the optical membrane foil to create a larger lens to enable higher resolution). DARPA is also looking at similar concepts to meet American IMINT needs.

xyz via China Defense Forum

With a lifespan of 8 years, the Gaofen 4 will likely be superseded by future GEO observation satellites with higher resolution imaging capabilities. One intriguing possibility is revealed in a study from a Chinese engineering journal. Enterprising scientists propose that a future GEO spy satellite could deploy a foldable telescope lens of over 20 meters diameter, which could be powerful enough provide sub 1-meter resolution (similar to Ball Aerospace and DARPA's Membrane Optics program). Such a futuristic GEO spy satellite wouldn't just be able to find interesting targets like aircraft carriers and missile launcher trucks, it could beam back real time video streams of enemy forces underway.

You may also be interested in:

China Tests its Largest Airship

China's Largest Ever Space Rocket Takes Another Big Step Forward

China Showcases Plan to Become the Leading Space Power

New, Better Chinese Satellite Hits Orbit

CHEOS- China's New Eye in Space?



https://chinaspacereport.com/spacecraft/gaofen/


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Home » Spacecraft » Gaofen (High Resolution)
Gaofen (High Resolution)


Gaofen (GF, “High Resolution”) is a series of civilian Earth observation satellites developed and launched for the China High-definition Earth Observation System (CHEOS), a state-sponsored programme aimed to develop a near-real time, all-weather, global surveillance network consisting of satellite, near-space (stratosphere) airships, and aerial observation platforms. Originally proposed in 2006, the CHEOS programme was officially approved by the Chinese government in May 2010. As many as 14 satellites equipped with CCD camera, multi-spectrum imagers and SAR radar are set for launch between 2013 to 2020.

• Programme
• Gaofen 1
• Gaofen 2
• Gaofen 3
• Gaofen 4
• Gaofen 5
• Gaofen 8
• Gaofen 9
• Missions

Programme
The CHEOS is one of the 16 key science and technology programmes initiated under the Chinese government’s Medium- to Long-term Development Plan for Science and Technology (2006—2020). The State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defence (SASTIND) oversees the implementation of the CHEOS plan. The China Aerospace Science & Technology Corporation (CASC) consortium is responsible for the development of its space segment, and the Centre for Resources Satellite Data and Application (CRESDA) operates the ground segment.

The Earth imagery supplied by the Gaofen series satellites are used for a wide range of applications including agricultural planning, disaster relief, climate change monitoring, geographical mapping, environmental and resource surveying, maritime surveillance, and national security. The major users of the observation data are the Ministry of Land and Resources, Ministry of Environmental Protection, and the Ministry of Agriculture.

Gaofen 1
Gaofen 1 (GF-1) is a medium-resolution Earth observation satellite operating in a 650 km Sun Synchronous Orbit (SSO). It is equipped with two multispectral cameras and four multispectral wide-field cameras. The multispectral cameras are able to capture Earth images with a spatial resolution of 2 metres in the panchromatic or black and white mode, or 8 metres in the multispectral or colour imagery. The wide-field cameras offer a spatial resolution of 16 metres and ground swath width of 800 km, allowing the satellite to collect the imagery of entire globe in only 4 days.

The satellite is based on the CAST2000 small satellite bus designed and developed by the Beijing-based China SpaceSat Co. Ltd. (also referred to as DFH Satellite Co. Ltd.), the commercial subsidiary of CAST (Chinese Academy of Space Technology). The satellite is equipped with a pair of solar panel wings, each with three solar panels, and has a launch mass of 1,080 kg. The satellite’s Attitude Determination and Control Sub-system (ADCS) uses a 3-axis star tracker, gyroscope, infrared earth sensors and digital sun sensors. Actuators are reaction wheels, magnetic torques, solar array drivers with BAPTA (Bearing And Power Transfer Assembly) and a propulsion subsystem with 8 years’ fuel.

Gaofen 1 was lofted into a 650 km SSO by a CZ-2D launch vehicle on 26 April 2013 from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre.

Contractor..........CAST (Prime), 508 Institute (Imaging)
Satellite bus:......CAST2000
Mass:...............1,080 kg
Dimensions:.........N/A
Solar panel span:...N/A
Orbit:..............650 km
Inclination:........98.36º
Stabilisation.......3-axis
Designed life.......5 to 8 years
Launch vehicle......CZ-2D
Launch site.........Jiuquan
Missions............Gaofen 1 (2013-018A)


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Gaofen 2
Gaofen 2 is a follow-up mission to Gaofen 1. The satellite is equipped with two high-resolution multispectral cameras, which are capable of capturing Earth images with a spatial resolution of 0.81 metre in the panchromatic or black and white mode, or 3.24 metres in the multispectral or colour imagery, with a ground swath width of 45 km. The satellite has a designed orbital life of 5 to 8 years.

The satellite is based on the CS-L3000A satellite bus designed and developed by Chinese Academy of Space Technology (CAST). The satellite features a high-stability and rapid-roll attitude control, achieved by an indigenous high-precision APS (Active Pixel Sensor) star sensor, MWs (Momentum Wheels) and CMGs (Control Moment Gyros) for its ADCS (Attitude Determination and Control Subsystem). While orbiting the Earth, four momentum wheels balance the whole satellite momentum, and keep its 3-axis ADCS stable with respect to the nadir direction. The mixed MWs and CMGs attitude control model, the optimized attitude steering and stabilization algorithm, especially the finely designed “avoidance of excited vibration of flexible body” algorithm, allow the high precision and high stability attitude control and rapid roll of the satellite.

The spacecraft is 2,870 mm in width and 3,792 mm in length (excluding the solar panel wings), with a launch mass of 2,200 kg. The solar panels are 11 m in span, and provides an output of 3.2 kW. The satellite has a unified S-band (USB) telemetry, tracking and control (TT&C) sub-system, which can transmit data directly to ground tracking stations, or via China’s tracking and data relay satellite (TDRS). The images captured by the payload is transmitted in X-band at rate of 450 Mbit/s for each camera. There is also an onboard data storage capable of holding 3.756 TB of data.

Gaofen 2 was lofted into a 620 km SSO by a CZ-4B launch vehicle on 19 August 2014 from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Centre.

Contractor..........CAST (Prime), 508 Institute (Imaging)
Satellite bus:......CS-L3000A
Mass:...............2,200 kg
Dimensions:.........2.87 m x 3.79 m
Solar panel span:...11 m
Orbit:..............620 km
Inclination:........98º
Stabilisation.......3-axis
Designed life.......5 to 8 years
Launch vehicle......CZ-4B
Launch site.........Taiyuan
Missions............Gaofen 2 (2014-049A)


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Gaofen 3
Gaofen 3 is an ocean surveillance satellite, equipped with a multi-polarized C-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) at meter-level resolution. Pre-research of the satellite was initiated in December 2010, and the engineering development began in September 2013. The satellite was completed in March 2016. The satellite was launched by a CZ-4C launch vehicle from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Centre at 06:55 CST on 10 August 2016.

The primary user of the satellite is the State Oceanic Administration (SOA), the China Meteorological Administration (CMA), the Ministry of Civil Affairs, and the Ministry of Water Resources.

Gaofen 3 carries a Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) imager operating in C-band, capable of providing earth images up to 1 m resolution (with 10 km ground swath). SAR technology sends microwaves that penetrate the clouds, and then captures and records the images that are echoed back. These images are downloaded through a high-rate data transmission link. Unlike conventional electro-optical imagery satellites, SAR satellites can operate in all-weather, day/night conditions, and can even capture images of underwater and underground targets. The SAR package of Gaofen 3, featuring a large radar antenna 18 m in length, was developed by the Institute of Electronics of the China Academy of Sciences (CAS).

Gaofen 3’s SAR package can operate in 12 different working modes, from high-resolution (1 m) to large-swatch (650 km), and from maritime imaging to combined land/water imaging. The 2,950 kg mass satellite operate on a 755 km LEO (98º inclination), with a designed operational life of 8 years. The package is capable of working for up to an hour.

Contractor..........CAST (Prime)
Satellite bus:......CS-L3000B
Mass:...............2,950 kg
Dimensions:.........N/A
Solar panel span:...N/A
Orbit:..............755 km
Inclination:........98º
Stabilisation.......3-axis
Designed life.......8 years
Launch vehicle......CZ-4C
Launch site.........Taiyuan
Missions............1

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Gaofen 4
Gaofen 4 is a geostationary Earth observation satellite. Unlike most Earth observation satellites which all operate in highly inclined polar orbits, Gaofen 4 operates from geostationary Earth orbit (GEO), which allows uninterrupted coverage of the same area on the ground 24 hours a day. Gaofen 4’s imaging payload, developed by Beijing Institute of Space Machinery & Electronics (508 Institute), consists of two staring optical imagers, one operating in visible light and one in infrared, sharing a common optical system. The spatial resolution is 50 m for the visible light imager and 400 m for the infrared imager. Operating from GEO, the imaging package allows the observation of China and its surrounding areas within an area of 7,000 km x 7,000 km, with each individual frame covering an area of 400 km x 400 km, and a capacity for minute-level temporal resolution monitoring.

The satellite was developed by China Academy of Space Technology (CAST), based on their new GEO remote-sensing satellite bus. It has orbital mass of 4,600 kg, and was designed for a life span of 8 years. The satellite was placed into orbit by a CZ-3B launch vehicle from the Xichang Satellite Launch Centre on 29 December 2015. After four orbital manoeuvres, the satellite was positioned at 105.6° E on GEO on 4 January 2016.

Contractor..........CAST (Prime), 508 Institute (Imaging)
Satellite bus:......GEO remote-sensing satellite bus
Mass:...............4,600 kg
Dimensions:.........N/A
Solar panel span:...N/A
Orbit:..............GEO
Position:...........105.5º E
Stabilisation.......3-axis
Designed life.......5 to 8 years
Launch vehicle......CZ-3B
Launch site.........Xichang
Missions............Gaofen 4 (2015-083A)





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Gaofen 5
Based on the SAST5000B bus, Gaofen 5 will carry six types of payloads, including visible and short-wave infra hyper-spectral camera, spectral imager, greenhouse gas detector, atmospheric environment infrared detector at very high spectral resolution, differential absorption spectrometer for atmospheric trace gas, and multi-angle polarization detector. The satellite has a designed life of 8 years and is scheduled to launch in 2016—17.

Contractor..........SAST (Prime), 508 Institute (Imaging)
Satellite bus:......SAST5000B
Mass:...............N/A
Dimensions:.........N/A
Solar panel span:...N/A
Orbit:..............N/A
Inclination:........N/A
Stabilisation.......N/A
Designed life.......8 years
Launch vehicle......N/A
Launch site.........N/A
Missions............None
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Gaofen 8
Gaofen 8 is an optical satellite with a high-resolution imaging payload, designed for country surveying, disaster response, agriculture mapping, city planning, land ownership marking and road network planning. There has been a lack of public sourced information regarding the technical details of the mission, but the satellite is speculated to have been developed from the Yaogan 26 reconnaissance satellite, with an imaging payload developed by Changchun Institute of Optics, Fine Machinery and Physics (CIOMP) of the China Academy of Sciences (CAS). Gaofen 8 was lofted into a 490 km polar orbit inclined at 97.3° by a CZ-4B launch vehicle from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Centre on 26 June 2015.

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Gaofen 9
Gaofen 9 is China’s first agile earth-observing satellite, with three-dimensional freedom for acquiring Earth imagery, giving opportunities for a more efficient scheduling of observations. The satellite’s imaging payload, developed by Beijing Institute of Space Machinery and Electronics (508 Institute), is capable of capturing Earth images with a spatial resolution of 0.5 metres in the panchromatic (black and white) mode, or 2 metres in the multispectral (colour imagery). The satellite was launched atop a CZ-2D launch vehicle from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre on 14 September 2014, and operates on a 650 km polar orbit inclined at 98°.

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Missions
# Date LV Launch Site Pad Payload Status
1 2013-04-26 CZ-2D Jiuquan SLS2 Gaofen 1 Success
2 2014-08-19 CZ-4B Taiyuan LC7 Gaofen 2 Success
3 2014-09-14 CZ-2D Jiuquan SLS2 Gaofen 9 Success
4 2015-06-26 CZ-4B Taiyuan LC7 Gaofen 8 Success
5 2015-12-29 CZ-3B Xichang LC2 Gaofen 4 Success
6 2016-08-10 CZ-4C Taiyuan LC9 Gaofen 3 Success
7 2016-09-01 CZ-4C Taiyuan LC9 Gaofen 10 Failure*
* The CZ-4C launcher failed to place the satellite into orbit

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