Source: Xinhua  2016-12-22

China successfully launched a carbon dioxide monitoring satellite by a Long March-2D launch vehicle from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China's Gobi Desert at 3:22 a.m. Thursday.

The 620-kg satellite TanSat was sent into a sun synchronous orbit about 700 kilometers above the earth and will monitor the concentration, distribution and flow of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere.

The satellite will help understanding of climate change and provide China's policy makers with independent data.

On a three-year mission, TanSat will thoroughly examine global CO2 levels every 16 days, accurate to at least 4 ppm (parts per million).

The LM-2D launch vehicle is developed and manufactured by Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology (SAST), the subsidiary of China Aerospace Science & Technology Corporation (CASC). Besides TanSat, the launch vehicle also carried a high-resolution micro-nano satellite and two spectrum micro-nano satellites for agricultural and forestry monitoring. This was the 243rd mission of the Long March series launch vehicles.

 

Date:2016-12-22