Gaofen 1

Mission type	Earth observation
Operator	China National Space Administration (CNSA)
COSPAR ID	2013-018A
SATCAT no.	39150
Mission duration	5~8 years
Spacecraft properties
Bus	CAST-2000
Manufacturer	China Association for Science and Technology (CAST)
Launch mass	1,080 kilograms (2,380 pounds)
Power	1278 watts
Start of mission
Launch date	26 April 2013, 04:13:00 UTC
Rocket	Long March-2D
Launch site	Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, LA-4
Contractor	China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (CALT)
Orbital parameters
Reference system	Geocentric orbit
Regime	Sun-synchronous orbit
Perigee altitude	625.3 kilometers (388.5 miles)
Apogee altitude	651.2 kilometers (404.6 miles)
Inclination	98.05°
Period	97.5 minutes
Transponders
Band	S-band C-band X-band
Gaofen

Gaofen 1 (Chinese: 高分一号; pinyin: Gāofēn Yī hào; lit. 'high resolution - number 1') is a Chinese high-resolution Earth observation satellite, and the first of the Gaofen series satellites.

History

The civilian CHEOS (China High-resolution Earth Observation System) satellite program was proposed in 2006 and received approval in 2010. Gaofen 1 was the first of six planned CHEOS spacecraft for being launched between 2013 and 2016.^[1] The satellite's primary goal is to provide near real time observations for disaster prevention and relief, climate change monitoring, geographical mapping, environmental and resource surveying as well as precision agriculture support.^[2]

Subsequently, over twelve satellites were launched in the Gaofen series, with varying optical, infrared and radar imaging capabilities. They are managed by civilians.^[1]

Launch

Gaofen 1 was launched on 26 April 2013 at 04:13 UTC with a Long March 2D carrier rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center along with the three small experimental satellites: TurkSat-3USat (Turkey), CubeBug 1 (Argentina) and NEE-01 Pegaso (Ecuador) in a Sun-synchronous orbit.^[2]