7 September 2020: China launches the Gaufen 11(02) from Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center. Video shows first stage exploding near a populated area. The satellite is part of China’s High-resolution Earth Observation System (CHEOS).
– The first Gaufen 11 was launched on 31 July 2018 on a CZ-4B rocket from also from China’s Taiyuan space center.
– Both satellites are in LEO: 248 km × 694 km, 97.4° inclination.
– The Gaofen multi-mode satellite’s large aperture, long-focus, high-resolution camera provides sub-meter level full color images, has multispectral capabilities and utilizes an atmospheric synchronization calibrator for reducing the impact of fog and haze.
– The GF-11 series has a 1.7m mirror which gives it a ground resolution of 8-10cm at perigee. At current orbit ideal conditions exist at ~10AM local solar time and at 20°N, right over India and the South China Sea.
– At the average altitude of 470km, the resolution is still 15 to 20cm, surpassing all commercial satellites and most reconnaissance satellites.
The Gaufen 11 propels China into the select club of countries that can acquire NIIRS 8-9 satellite imagery, meaning the resolution is high enough to identify small hand-held weapons.
Gaufen 11(02) launch / first-stage impact imagery.
