By Ankit Panda
In September, China launched multiple satellites, including the Yaogan-21 and the experimental Tiantuo-2.
Earlier this month, China launched new experimental military satellites. According to a report by IHS Jane’s Defense Weekly, on September 8, the Chinese military launched a Long March-4B rocket which carried the Yaogan-21 remote sensing satellite and a second experimental satellite known as the Tiantuo-2. The launch was carried out at the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center, a Chinese space and defense launch facility in Shanxi Provice. The Tiantuo-2, which was built by the National University of Defense Technology (NUDT), according to Xinhua, is intended for “scientific experiments, natural resource survey, estimation of crop yields, and disaster relief.”
According to Jane’s, analysts believe that the Yaogan satellite constellation will ultimately have applications for oceanic surveillance: “It is speculated that the system will be capable of tracking objects on the earth’s surface using real-time ground-controlled directional alignment of the cameras. An NUDT statement reported that the satellite will be used to test technologies for more advanced video imaging satellites.” The first in the Yaogan series, Yaogan-1, was launched in 2006 and “is believed to have deployed China’s first space-based synthetic aperture radar.”
Read the full story at The Diplomat