A new meteorological satellite for China was launched at 1617 GMT on 2 June. The mission utilised a Long March 3B-G2 (CZ-3B-G2) rocket and lifted-off from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center, China. The satellite Fengyun-4B (FY-4B) was placed in to a Geostationary Transfer Orbit (GTO) by the launch vehicle, from where it will make its own way to the geostationary arc. This satellite represents one of the first next-generation weather monitoring satellites for China and will contribute to weather analysis, forecasting, and disaster monitoring.
The Long March 3B rocket lifts-off from Xichang. Courtesy of Xinhua/Guo Wenbin
Sally Hylands contributed to this article.
