China’s L-SAR4 01 satellite, the world’s first high-orbit synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellite, has entered its operational orbit, the China National Space Administration (CNSA) said on Monday.

The satellite is now in sound condition, with the SAR antenna successfully deployed, and will carry out in-orbit testing in the follow-up tasks, said the CNSA.

The satellite precisely entered the preset orbit after four orbital maneuvers, said Meng Lingjie, deputy chief designer of engineering at CNSA’s Earth Observation System and Data Center.

Meng said unfurling the large circular SAR antenna is “very critical,” as only after that can the meticulous in-orbit testing be carried out, and the satellite will be put into service after fully completing the in-orbit testing. 

Launched on August 13 by a Long March-3B rocket, the satellite has broken through key technologies and is able to provide all-day, all-weather observation of China’s territory and surrounding areas.

“It provides direct and time-sensitive SAR data for the country’s disaster prevention and reduction, which will improve the comprehensive abilities in disaster prevention, mitigation and relief,” said Meng.

The satellite can also meet the needs of earthquake monitoring, land and resource surveying, and be applied in industries such as marine, water conservancy, meteorology, agriculture, environmental protection and forestry.

According to news.cgtn.com. Source of photo: internet