Special report: 2008 Olympic Games
A second Olympic weather forecasting satellite, the Fengyun-3 (FY-3), is launched on a Long March-4C carrier rocket from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in northern Shanxi Province, May 27, 2008. The 2,295-kilogram satellite will provide accurate and timely information about weather changes to facilitate more precise weather forecasts during the Beijing Olympic Games. (Xinhua Photo)
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TAIYUAN, May 27 (Xinhua) -- China launched a second Olympic weather forecasting satellite, the Fengyun-3 (FY-3), Tuesday morning.
The satellite was launched on a Long March-4C carrier rocket from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in northern Shanxi Province at 11:02 a.m. (Beijing Time).
It entered the preset orbit 27 minutes later.
Gao Huoshan, general director of the FY-3 research team, said the satellite would send back images with the highest spatial resolution of 250 meters and its temperature sensitivity would reach 0.1 degree Fahrenheit. Both indices were close to the most advanced level of similar satellites in the world.
The highest spatial resolution of existing satellites in China had been 1.1 kilometers, according to Gao.
"The 250-m resolution images will be of vital significance for censoring global climate changes and possible subsequent natural disasters," said Gao.
A second Olympic weather forecasting satellite, the Fengyun-3 (FY-3), is launched on a Long March-4C carrier rocket from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in northern Shanxi Province, May 27, 2008. (Xinhua Photo)
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It would also contribute to key geographical data for the research on aviation, navigation, agriculture, forestry and oceanography, he added.
The satellite was equipped with a dozen of advanced detectors such as the infrared scan actinograph and the microwave formatter.
It is able to carry out a three-dimensional, all-weather, multi-spectrum quantitative detection to acquire data from the ground surface, the ocean and the space, according to sources with the China National Space Administration.
Experts said the data collected by the satellite would not only facilitate weather forecast in China but also in other countries.
China Meteorological Administration (CMA), in cooperation with Swedish meteorological authorities, had established a data collection terminal at the north pole to transmit data collected by the FY-3, according to an official with the National Satellite Meteorological Center (NSMC), which is affiliated with the CMA.
The World Meteorological Organization had said it would use data offered by China's FY-3, Europe's METOP and U.S. NPOESS to detect changes of the atmosphere, the ocean and the ground surface, said the official.
The 2,295-kilogram satellite will provide accurate and timely information about weather changes to facilitate more precise weather forecasts during the Beijing Olympic Games, said a CMA official earlier.
The CMA official said the new satellite, with a bigger payload, would provide medium-range weather forecasts up to 10 to 15 days.
Zheng Guoguang, director of the CMA, said the FY-3 would work with the existing FY-2 to ensure timely weather forecast during the Olympics.
Both the satellite and the rocket are developed by the Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology affiliated to the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation.
The launch was the 106th mission of China's Long March series of rockets since April 24, 1970, when a Long March-1 rocket successfully sent China's first satellite Dongfanghong-1 into the space.
China has launched eight meteorological satellites since research started in the 1970s. Its first Olympic weather forecasting satellite, the FY-2D, was launched towards the end of 2006.
The CMA has identified weather forecast services for the Olympic Games as "a priority" for this year as the country may face much more frequent adverse weather.
It has announced earlier that China will launch another 22 meteorological satellites by 2020, including four more from the Fengyun-2 series, 12 from the Fengyun-3 series and six from Fengyun-4 series.
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A Long March 4C rocket
The Chinese National Space Administration has launched a Long March 4C carrier rocket, carrying the Fengyun-3A (FY-3A) weather satellite. FY-3A is the first of thirteen Fengyun-3 satellites, which will be launched in the next twelve years.

The launch occurred from Launch Area 1 at the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Centre in Shanxi province, China. Lift-off was at 03:02 GMT this morning, and the ascent to orbit took around 27 minutes, resulting in the successful deployment of the satellite.

Fengyun-3A will provide weather forecasts for the upcoming Olympic Games. It will also be used for general forecasting, both for China and the rest of the world. It will be able to make forecasts around a fortnight in advance. With a 250 metre resolution, it is the most advanced Chinese weather satellite yet launched.

This is the 26th orbital launch of 2008, the 106th launch of a Long March rocket, and the 3rd launch of the Long March 4C, which first flew in 2006. The next scheduled Chinese launch is believed to be a Long March 3B from the Xichang Satellite Launch Centre, with the Chinasat 9 satellite. This will occur in early June.