China plans to have 100 eyes in the sky
(Agencies)
Updated: 2004-11-16 15:30

China plans to launch more than 100 satellites before 2020 to watch every corner of the country,  China Central Television quoted a government official as saying Tuesday.

A "large surveying network" would be set up to monitor water reserves, forests, farmland, city construction and "various activities of society," a government official said.

"The aim is that, at any time and any place, we can obtain necessary data on any event through watching the Earth from space," said Shao Liqin, an official with the Ministry of Science and Technology.

China regularly sends research satellites into orbit and in October last year became the third nation successfully to put a man in space when a single astronaut orbited Earth 14 times.

In August, China launched a satellite that carried out land and mapping surveys for several days before returning to Earth.

Close

Today's Top News     Top China News
Beijing may get Yangtze water by 2010         Economic growth on stable upward curve         Overseas Chinese allowed to tranfer RMB         Bush names hawkish Rice top US diplomat         Mystery virus strikes HK children         US warned: Be aware of Chen's dirty tricks	US warned: Be aware of Chen's dirty tricks       Greenpeace says logging illegal       Intangible cultural heritage to be listed       Rail system to link 8 cities in Jiangsu       China raises fund to deal with miners' black lung       China appreciates Powell's efforts to boost Sino-US ties