Brazil and China launch satellite
Brazil and China have launched a remote sensing satellite into space.
The missile, which is the third in the China-Brazil Earth Resources Satellite programme, was shot into orbit from the Taiyuan space centre in China, yesterday.
CBERS 2B weighs 3,200 pounds and was commissioned in 2004 by the Chinese and Brazilian governments to bridge the gap between older missiles and next generation satellites.
It will orbit the Earth collecting detailed images of the globe which Brazil and China will use data from to monitor environmental changes, asses crop planning and water resources as well as use high-resolution shots for urban planning and military operations.
Previous crafts in the project were launched in 1999 and 2003, pictures from which have been published online and viewed by over 15,000 users, according to statistics from Brazilian officials.
The next phase in Brazil and China’s Earth Satellite collaboration will see two missiles with four cameras launch into orbit in 2009 and 2011, with the countries sharing equal responsibility for the mission.
