Satellite observing Arctic region thrusts into action

China’s first polar-observing satellite has started its Arctic observation mission after orbiting Earth for nine months, sources from its operations team said on Tuesday.

The mission will test the observation capabilities of the satellite, which is expected to achieve full coverage of the Arctic in seven days, said operations team leader Chen Zhuoqi, who is also an associate professor at the School of Geospatial Engineering and Science under the Sun Yat-Sen University in Guangzhou City in Guangdong Province.

Since its launch on September 12, 2019, the satellite, called “Ice Pathfinder,” has completed its Antarctic observation mission, sending back more than 1,000 images covering the southern polar region.

After more than one month of in-orbit debugging and testing, the satellite platforms and sensors are in good operating condition. The first batch of Arctic data has been processed, said Cheng Xiao, lead scientist of the satellite project and professor at the Sun Yat-Sen University.

The polar-observing satellite was developed by scientists at Beijing Normal University and Sun Yat-Sen University. It was designed to provide coverage between 85 degrees north and south latitudes.

Wider observation range

Major satellites such as the US Landsat series that monitor the Earth’s resources can cover areas between 82.5 degrees north and south latitudes.

“It means China’s polar-observing satellite has wider coverage and can help rectify the lack of polar region observation data,” Cheng said.

In the past, Chinese scientists conducted polar studies based mainly on data collected by vessels and research stations. The use of remote sensing satellite technology will enable them to monitor and obtain imagery and data of difficult-to-access areas.

To further improve the country’s polar observation capability, Cheng’s team, together with China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, a state-owned satellite and rocket maker, has proposed a new plan to develop a mini synthetic-aperture-radar satellite for polar regions.

Meanwhile, China’s newly launched ocean observation satellite has sent back its first batch of remote sensing images, according to the Ministry of Natural Resources.

The HY-1D satellite and its payloads, which include an ocean color and temperature scanner as well as a calibration spectrometer, have begun normal operations.

The National Satellite Ocean Application Service’s three ground stations in Hainan Province, Beijing and Heilongjiang Province successfully received remote sensing data from the satellite on Sunday. The data reception at the ground station has met design requirements, and the processed, remote sensing images can reflect data on oceans, coastal areas and lakes. The HY-1D satellite was launched into space June 11. It is China’s fourth remote-sensing satellite for ocean observation.