Land Surveyor 4A Satellite Enters Preset Orbit

The Land Surveyor 4A, the world's first synthetic aperture radar satellite in high-altitude orbit, has successfully moved into its preset orbital position and has unfolded its radar antennas, according to the China National Space Administration.

Dedicated to natural disaster prevention and mitigation, the remote-sensing satellite was carried into orbit on a Long March 3B rocket that was launched on Aug 13 from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in Sichuan province.

It carried out four orbital maneuvres to arrive at its position in a geosynchronous orbit. All of the flight-control tests have been conducted with satisfactory results, and the spacecraft is in good condition, the administration said in a news release on Morning morning 21 August, adding that the satellite will continue to undergo function tests during its in-orbit verification phase.

Developed by the China Academy of Space Technology, the Land Surveyor 4A will extensively improve China's space-based disaster monitoring system, it said.

Read more in Space Daily article. https://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Land_Surveyor_4A_satellite_enters_preset_orbit_999.html