The satellite was launched by a Long March-2C carrier rocket at 6:53 a.m. (Beijing Time) and entered the planned orbit. Its primary users will be the Ministry of Emergency Management and the Ministry of Ecology and Environment.
The satellite will form an in-orbit network with a similar one launched into space last October, making up a preliminary satellite constellation for emergency management and environment monitoring.
The S-band synthetic aperture radar system aboard the satellite can work on cloudy and rainy days, which effectively overcomes the shortfalls of optical satellites.
Also, the emergency data processing system on the satellite can realize on-board real-time imaging, as well as information extraction and pre-processing for hot-spot areas.
The satellite will provide basic data for disaster relief and also contribute to land resources surveys, water conservancy, agriculture and forestry.
The launch was the 482nd mission to use the Long March rocket series.
The three satellites of the Yaogan-36 family were launched at 04:02 a.m. (Beijing Time) from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in the southwestern province of Sichuan and entered the preset orbit.
This mission is the 480th flight of the Long March carrier rockets.
Three of the satellites will be used to obtain remote sensing observation data and provide commercial remote sensing services, while the other satellite will be used for satellite communications technology verification.
This was the 479th flight mission of the Long March rocket series.
At least 135 people were killed and 110 others injured in the disasters triggered by heavy rains last month in the East African country. More than 20,000 people were displaced after 5,963 houses were destroyed.
Clementine Mukanoheri, a mother of two, said it was the second time in five years that the disasters had wrecked her life.
“In March 2018, my two children were rescued from floods in the same village near River Sebeya. I think all the survivors are scared to go back to that same village, and what we want is government support,” she said.
Justine Uwababyeyi, a resident of the Nyundo sector in the Rubavu district, lost her husband and three children when their house collapsed in the heavy rains.
When their house collapsed, Uwababyeyi and her husband heard the children crying for help, but they could not even help themselves under the rubble.
One of her sons escaped unhurt and managed to run out of the house into the pounding rains to call for help. “When the rescue teams arrived, my husband had already passed away,” she said.
The rescue team found the bodies of her husband and three other children under the rubble.
After Uwababyeyi got out of the hospital, local leaders assisted her with shelter and basic items. Her life was miserable as her husband was the family’s sole breadwinner.
John Hakizimana, another resident whose house was also destroyed, recalled the horrifying night. The flooding was too intense after the Sebeya River burst its banks, making it very difficult for people to cross over.
“Escaping from the floods on that fateful night was far from easy. Nobody is considering returning to reside in that unfavorable location,” he said.
Oreste Tuganeyezu, director of Gisenyi Hospital, said many people who survived floods had health issues, but medics have been doing their best to treat them. “We have about 25 mothers who have so far given birth here in the site and are given all the necessary support,” he said.
The hospital offers free medical care for all the displaced people including those without health insurance. Health personnel visit patients at their respective shelters to offer them treatment free of charge.
Meanwhile, at the Gihira settlement site in the Rubavu district, children of flood victims are provided with daycare facilities.
Deogratias Nzabonimpa, acting mayor of Rubavu district, said local authorities are taking action to prevent such catastrophe from affecting residents in the future.
“Several measures have been undertaken such as constructing radical terraces, planting trees and relocating people living in high-risk zones,” said Nzabonimpa. “By putting together all our efforts, we shall overcome issues of flooding and landslides, I believe that positive results will be attained as it has been done in recent years.”
The rocket blasted off at 1:30 p.m. (Beijing Time) at the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in northern China and soon took the satellites, including the Jilin-1 Gaofen 06A, into preset orbit.
This was the 476th flight mission of the Long March rocket series.
Onboard satellites included 36 from the Jilin-1 family, developed by the Chang Guang Satellite Technology Co., Ltd., a commercial satellite maker in northeast China’s Jilin Province. They will increase the number of in-orbit Jilin-1 satellites to 108, assembling China’s first commercial constellation of more than 100 remote sensing satellites.
The first Jilin-1 group was launched in October 2015. Over the past eight years, the weight of each satellite with the same function has been greatly reduced from 420 kilograms to 22 kilograms.
He Xiaojun, chief designer of the Jilin-1 Gaofen 06A, said the weight reduction has benefited from the use of upgraded image sensors, improved design techniques and advanced integrated chips.
The changes do not affect the resolution of satellite images but expand their visible range by 50 percent. They also lower the cost to one-twentieth of previous satellites, He said.
“Just like the evolution of computers,” the scientist explained, “from bulky desktops to today’s laptops and smartphones, the devices have been reduced in size due to technology upgrades, but the computing performance is improving.”
According to the company, the newly launched satellites will be used to provide commercial remote sensing data services for sectors such as land resources, mineral exploration and smart city construction.
The spaceship will carry three astronauts — Jing Haipeng, Zhu Yangzhu and Gui Haichao — to carry out the Shenzhou-16 spaceflight mission. Jing will be the commander, said Lin Xiqiang, deputy director of the CMSA, at a press conference.
Shenzhou-16 is the second flight mission of China’s manned space program this year, and the first crewed mission after China’s space station entered the application and development stage.
The crew will stay in orbit for about five months.
The launch will use a Long March-2F carrier rocket, which will be filled with propellant soon, Lin said.
