China launches satellites for UAE and Egypt into orbit

China has carried out a successful commercial launch of the Lijian-1 carrier rocket. The rocket placed into orbit a group of nine satellites, including spacecraft created for partners: the United Arab Emirates and Egypt. This was reported by Global Times, a partner of TV BRICS.

The launched Arab Satellite 813 is a hyperspectral Earth observation satellite. It was developed in Shanghai and equipped with a special camera capable of capturing detailed images in various spectra. The main task of the satellite is to monitor the state of the environment and support scientific research.

The Egyptian satellite SPNEX is designed for climate studies. It will monitor the consequences of climate change and analyse processes in the upper layers of the Earth’s atmosphere (the ionosphere).

Six spacecraft on board belong to the Chinese Academy of Sciences and will be used to solve applied tasks, from urban planning and meteorology to monitoring natural disasters.

It is noted that this launch has become the 11th for the Lijian-1 model, which has confirmed its status as one of the leaders in China’s commercial launch market, having delivered a total of 84 satellites into space.

Tests are currently under way for a new spacecraft of the Lihong series, intended for tourism and scientific flights. In the future, systems enabling the return and reuse of the rocket’s payload fairing are planned to be installed directly on the Lijian-1. The introduction of these technologies will allow China to significantly reduce the cost of launches.

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