Fengyun-2H: China Launches Weather Satellite Successfully for BRI Countries

China has successfully launched a new meteorological satellite into the orbit to improve the accuracy of weather forecasting. The 172-foot-tall Fengyun 2H is an older generation of spin-stabilized Chinese weather satellites launched on Tuesday. The countries participating in BRI can avail free meteorological services from the satellite.

“The Fengyun-2H satellite which provides weather data, officials say will cover all the territory of China, as well as countries along the BRI, the Indian Ocean and most African countries,” said Zhao Jian, deputy director of Department of System Engineering of China National Space Administration (CNSA).

The satellite was released off from the Xichang space center in China’s Sichuan province at 1307 GMT. The satellite was carried out by a 52.5-meter long rocket along with a weather monitoring payload into orbit, and its hydrogen-fuelled upper stage released the 3,042-pound spacecraft in orbit.

According to reports, the new geostationary satellite will improve and fulfill the gap in weather monitoring over the Indian Ocean.  The enhanced version of Fengyun 4-series satellites is more sophisticated than the Fengyun 2 satellites. 

The huge Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) aims to build a rail, maritime and road network across Asia, Europe, and Africa.

“The move shows China's willingness to construct a community with a shared future,” added Mr. Jian.