China sends remote-sensing satellite into space for Pakistan

China launched a Kuaizhou 1A carrier rocket on Thursday morning from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in Sichuan province, sending a remote-sensing satellite into space for Pakistan.

The solid-propellant rocket blasted off at 10 am from its launch vehicle and placed the satellite, designed and built by the Shanghai-based Innovation Academy for Microsatellites of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, into its preset orbit, according to China Aerospace Science and Industry Corp, a State-owned space contractor that makes the rocket.

The company said in a news release that the satellite is mainly tasked with supporting land resources management and disaster prevention and mitigation.

Remote sensing satellites refer to those tasked with observing, surveying and measuring objects on land or at sea as well as monitoring weather.

The mission marked the 29th flight of the Kuaizhou 1A model as well as China's 42nd space launch this year.

Developed by China Space Sanjiang Group, a CASIC subsidiary in Hubei province, the 20-meter Kuaizhou 1A is the country's most used solid-propellant rocket model. The type has a liftoff weight of about 30 metric tons, and is capable of sending 200 kilograms of payload into a sun-synchronous orbit, or 300 kg of payload into a low-Earth orbit.

According to Pakistan's Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission, the newly deployed satellite, equipped with cutting-edge imaging systems, is expected to play a critical role in urban planning, disaster management, agricultural development, and environmental monitoring. Its advanced sensors will aid in predicting and mitigating natural disasters such as floods, earthquakes, landslides, glacier melts, and deforestation.

The satellite will also support key national initiatives including the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, contributing to geospatial mapping and infrastructure planning, Pakistani media quoted the commission as saying.