China releases first images from world’s most powerful geostationary meteorological satellite

The China Meteorological Administration has released the first images from the new geostationary satellite Fengyun-4C, currently the most powerful in the world in terms of integrated observation capabilities, according to the administration. It features high precision and a wide observational coverage. This was reported by China Daily, a partner of TV BRICS.

The satellite was launched on 27 December from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in Sichuan Province, and at the beginning of January it began in-orbit testing.

The satellite has several tasks: to promptly detect hazardous weather phenomena and issue timely warnings, to transmit the collected data to China’s early warning system MAZU – an intelligent artificial intelligence-based platform that analyses information and produces more accurate forecasts – and to share data with the international community.

Fengyun-4C is equipped with six scientific instruments that meet advanced international standards. Among them is a geostationary radiation imager that produces highly detailed images of weather conditions. Thanks to this, meteorologists can clearly distinguish high-level cirrus clouds. Another instrument – a vertical atmospheric sounder using the method of interference (wave superposition) – operates as an ultra-precise atmospheric scanner. It measures temperature across a greater number of atmospheric layers at different altitudes than previous models.

A lightning imager has made it possible to map convective activity (indicating the likelihood of such weather phenomena as heavy rainfall, thunderstorms, squalls, hail and tornadoes) over South Asia by tracking storm cells and lightning strikes.

Ultraviolet and X-ray sensors on the satellite detect solar flares and specific emissions in the upper layers of the atmosphere (the ionosphere). Thanks to these data, scientists will be able to better predict the impact of solar activity and reduce disruptions in communication, navigation and positioning systems worldwide.

According to Chen Zhenlin, director of the China Meteorological Administration, China has created the world’s largest weather observation system, with monitoring on land, at sea, in the air and in space. At present, 10 Chinese Fengyun-type meteorological satellites are operating in orbit. He noted that Chinese meteorological satellites are positioned across four types of near-Earth orbits.