Fengyun satellites provide insight into global "wind and cloud"! 121 countries and regions are using them

Recently, the National Satellite Meteorological Center of the China Meteorological Administration released data that since its operation in January 2019, the Fengyun-2H satellite, known as the "Belt and Road Star", has received 28 full-disk cloud images and 20 northern hemisphere cloud images every day, and has now received 55,000 cloud images. So far, 121 countries and regions have used Fengyun meteorological satellite data, including 85 countries and regions along the "Belt and Road"; more than 1,400 trainees from 92 countries and regions around the world have received relevant technical training.

my country's Fengyun series of meteorological satellites and the Long March series of launch vehicles used for their launch are developed by China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation.

After being adjusted to its fixed position in space, the Fengyun-2H satellite has filled the blind spots in the observation of the Indian Ocean, Central Asia, West Asia and Africa by global meteorological satellites. Its more than 50,000 cloud images have been widely used in responding to natural disasters such as the Arabian Sea cyclone storm and the Sri Lanka floods.

▲ Fengyun-2H satellite serves countries and regions along the “Belt and Road” (schematic diagram)

"The images of each channel of Fengyun-2H satellite and products such as cloud top temperature and cloud classification obtained from the Fengyun satellite remote sensing data service network have provided useful help for our daily weather forecast services." Vilho Ndenyema, a weather forecaster at the Namibian Meteorological Bureau, said at the Fengyun Meteorological Satellite International User Conference last month that the Fengyun-3 meteorological satellite receiving and processing system equipped with the assistance of Chinese meteorological experts on site has also settled in the bureau, which can realize real-time acquisition of satellite data. The monitoring products such as lakes and vegetation generated based on this have enhanced its environmental monitoring service capabilities. This is crucial for Namibia, which has been plagued by drought all year round.

At a time when the global climate is warming and extreme weather is becoming more frequent, not only Fengyun-2H, but the entire Fengyun meteorological satellite family is working hard to serve the weather forecasting, natural disaster response and ecological environment governance in countries and regions along the "Belt and Road" and even the world.

In line with the international emergency response mechanism, my country is promoting Fengyun-4A, Fengyun-3D and Fengyun-2H to join the "duty satellite" sequence of the International Charter on Space and Major Disasters. The world's first civilian dawn-dusk orbit meteorological satellite Fengyun-3E, which was successfully launched not long ago and is still in the in-orbit test phase, and my country's new generation of geostationary orbit meteorological satellite Fengyun-4B have even received "demand orders" from international users in advance, and are expected to be used by them as soon as possible.

▲ Fengyun-4B (Photo by Zhao Chong)

From data services, information receiving platforms to remote sensing application products and skills training, all are provided free of charge, and international users enjoy the same treatment as Chinese users in terms of data acquisition. Today, the trust accumulated in exchanges and the sense of security brought by the support of China's meteorological technology have enabled the various modes of proactive door-to-door service, user-independent ordering, universal service and customized service to be upgraded and improved in practice again and again. Due to recognition of data quality and benefits, the Fengyun meteorological satellite data used by countries and regions has increased year by year. This year alone, international users submitted more than 2,000 data service orders and downloaded more than 9 million data files.

During the 14th Five-Year Plan period, my country plans to launch five more meteorological satellites, and by 2035, the third-generation Fengyun meteorological satellite comprehensive observation system will be upgraded to provide more refined services along the Belt and Road and help with disaster prevention and mitigation.

Source/China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation official WeChat public account

Editor/Yang Sishuang

Review/Yang Jie

Producer/Cao Xiaoyong