China–Brazil Earth Resources Satellite 1 (CBERS-1), also known as Ziyuan I-01 or Ziyuan 1A (ZY 1, ZY 1A), is a

remote sensing Remote sensing is the acquisition of information about an 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 information about Eart ...

satellite which was operated 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 ...

between the China National Space Administration and

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

National Institute for Space Research The National Institute for Space Research ( pt, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas Espaciais, INPE) is a research unit of the Brazilian Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovations, the main goals of which are fostering scientific research an ...

. The first CBERS satellite to fly, it was launched by China in 1999. CBERS-1 was a spacecraft built 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 prod ...

and 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 opposed to specially produced satellites. Bus- ...

. The spacecraft was powered by a single solar array, providing 1,100 watts of electricity for the satellite's systems. The instrument suite aboard the CBERS-1 spacecraft consisted of three systems: the Wide Field Imager (WFI) produced visible-light to near-infrared images with a resolution of and a swath width of ; a high-resolution CCD camera was used for multispectral imaging at a resolution of with a swath width of ; the third instrument, the Infrared Multispectral Scanner (IMS), had a resolution of and a swath width of . A Chang Zheng 4B carrier rocket, operated by the

China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology The China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (CALT) is a major state-owned civilian and military space launch vehicle manufacturer in China and one of the major launch service providers in the world. CALT is a subsidiary of the larger China A ...

, was used to launch CBERS-1. The launch took place at 03:15 UTC on 14 October 1999, using Launch Complex 7 at the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Centre. The satellite was successfully placed into a sun-synchronous orbit. CBERS-1 was decommissioned in September 2003, almost four years after launch. The derelict satellite remains in orbit; as of 30 November 2013 it is in an orbit with a

perigee An apsis (; ) is the farthest or nearest point in the orbit of a planetary body about its primary body. For example, the apsides of the Earth are called the aphelion and perihelion. General description There are two apsides in any ell ...

of , an

apogee An apsis (; ) is the farthest or nearest point in the orbit of a planetary body about its primary body. For example, the apsides of the Earth are called the aphelion and perihelion. General description There are two apsides in any ell ...

of , 98.34 degrees inclination and a

period Period may refer to: Common uses * Era, a length or span of time * Full stop (or period), a punctuation mark Arts, entertainment, and media * Period (music), a concept in musical composition * Periodic sentence (or rhetorical period), a concept ...

of 100.35 minutes. The orbit has a

semimajor axis In geometry, the major axis of an ellipse is its longest diameter: a line segment that runs through the center and both foci, with ends at the two most widely separated points of the perimeter. The semi-major axis (major semiaxis) is the lo ...

of , and

eccentricity Eccentricity or eccentric may refer to: * Eccentricity (behavior), odd behavior on the part of a person, as opposed to being "normal" Mathematics, science and technology Mathematics * Off-Centre (geometry), center, in geometry * Eccentricity (g ...

of 0.0004025.

References

{{Ziyuan Spacecraft launched in 1999 China–Brazil Earth Resources Satellite program Earth observation satellites of Brazil Satellites of China 1999 in China Spacecraft launched by Long March rockets