China–Brazil Earth Resources Satellite 4 (CBERS-4), also known as Ziyuan I-04 or Ziyuan 1E, is a
remote sensing
Remote sensing is the acquisition of information about an physical object, object or phenomenon without making physical contact with the object, in contrast to in situ or on-site observation. The term is applied especially to acquiring inform ...
satellite intended for operation as part of the
China–Brazil Earth Resources Satellite program
The China–Brazil Earth Resources Satellite program (CBERS) is a technological cooperation program between Brazil and China which develops and operates Earth observation satellites.
History
The basis for the space cooperation between China a ...
between the
Chinese Center for Resources Satellite Data and Application and
Brazilian National Institute for Space Research
The National Institute for Space Research (, INPE) is a research unit of the Brazilian Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (Brazil), Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovations, the main goals of which are fostering scientific r ...
.
The fifth CBERS satellite to fly, it was successfully launched on 7 December 2014. It replaces
CBERS-3 which was lost in a launch failure in December 2013.
Spacecraft
CBERS-4 is a spacecraft based on the
Phoenix-Eye 1 satellite bus
A satellite bus (or spacecraft bus) is the main body and structural component of a satellite or spacecraft, in which the payload and all scientific instruments are held.
Bus-derived satellites are less customized than specially-produced satelli ...
.
It was developed by the
China Academy of Space Technology
The China Academy of Space Technology (CAST) () is a Chinese space agency and subordinate of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC). The agency was founded on 20 February 1968, and is the main spacecraft development and pr ...
, in partnership with Brazil, at a cost of US$125 million for each party. The spacecraft have a single solar array which provides power to its systems, generating 2,300 watts of electrical power, and have a design life of three years.
The CBERS-4 spacecraft carries four instruments: MUXCam, a multispectral camera; PanMUX, a
panchromatic
A panchromatic emulsion is a type of photographic emulsion that is sensitive to all wavelengths of visible light, and produces a monochrome photograph—typically black and white. Most modern commercially available film is panchromatic, and the t ...
imager; the Infrared Medium Resolution Scanner, or IRSCAM, and WFICAM, a wide-field imaging camera.
These cameras will be used to observe a swath of of landmass at a time, enabling the satellite to scan the entire surface of the planet every 26 days, with a spatial resolution of up to .
CBERS-4 was initially scheduled to be launched in 2015, however after the loss of
CBERS-3 at launch in December 2013, China and Brazil agreed to accelerate the production of CBERS-4 by 1 year.
The satellite will restore the Brazilian government's ability to observe its own territory following a 4.5-year gap caused by the failure of
CBERS-2B and
CBERS-3.
Launch
A
Chang Zheng 4B carrier rocket was used to launch CBERS-4. The launch took place at 03:26 UTC on 7 December 2014, using
Launch Complex 9 at the
Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center
The Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center (TSLC) also known as ''Base 25'' (), is a People's Republic of China space and defense launch facility (spaceport). It is situated in Kelan County, Xinzhou, Shanxi Province and is the second of four laun ...
. The satellite was successfully placed into a
Sun-synchronous orbit
A Sun-synchronous orbit (SSO), also called a heliosynchronous orbit, is a nearly polar orbit around a planet, in which the satellite passes over any given point of the planet's surface at the same local mean solar time. More technically, it is ...
.
Gallery
See also
*
2014 in spaceflight
References
External links
China–Brazil Earth Resources Satellite program
Spacecraft launched in 2014
2014 in China
Earth observation satellites of Brazil
Satellites of China
Spacecraft launched by Long March rockets
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