Fengyun

Fēngyún (traditional Chinese: 風雲; simplified Chinese: 风云; literally: "wind cloud"), abbreviated FY, are China's weather satellites. China has launched polar orbit and geosynchronous orbit meteorological satellites since 1988. On January 11, 2007 China destroyed one of these satellites (FY-1C) in a test of an anti-satellite missile.

The satellites in the FY-1 series are polar-orbiting sun-synchronous orbits. The satellites in the FY-2 series are in geosynchronous orbit.

Meteorological satellites also important in oceanography, agriculture, forestry, hydrology, aviation, navigation, environmental protection and national defense. They contribute to the national economy and to preventing and mitigating disasters. The latest satellites monitor bad weather around the clock, particularly convective rainstorms, thunderstorms and hailstorms. They also monitor developing sandstorms as well as air quality and provide early warnings.

According to NASA, the intentional destruction of FY-1C created 2,841 high-velocity debris items, a larger amount of dangerous space junk than any other space mission in history.

Fengyun 2-05

Fengyun 2-05, also known as Fengyun 2D is a Chinese weather satellite which was launched in 2006. It was the fourth satellite to be launched of the Fengyun 2 series, and the second operational spacecraft. It is part of the Fengyun programme.

A Long March 3A carrier rocket was used to launch Fengyun 2-05, flying from Launch Area 2 at the Xichang Satellite Launch Centre. The launch took place at 00:53 UTC (08:53 CST) on 8 December 2006, with the carrier rocket placing the satellite into a geosynchronous transfer orbit. An FG-36 apogee motor was then used to raise the satellite into geosynchronous orbit. By 7 February 2007, it was in an orbit with a perigee of 35,787 kilometres (22,237 mi), and apogee of 35,788 kilometres (22,238 mi), and 2.4 degrees inclination. It is positioned at a longitude of 86.5 degrees east.

References

Fengyun 2-07

Fengyun 2-07 or FY-2-07 (Chinese: 风云二号07 meaning Wind Cloud 2-07), also known as Fengyun-2F or FY-2F, is a Chinese weather satellite operated by China's National Satellite Meteorological Centre. Part of the Fengyun programme, it was the sixth Fengyun 2 geostationary satellite to be launched.

Fengyun 2-07 was launched by a Long March 3A carrier rocket, with the serial number Y22, flying from Launch Area 3 at the Xichang Satellite Launch Centre. The launch took place on 13 January 2012 at 00:56 UTC, and resulted in the successful deployment of the satellite into a geosynchronous transfer orbit. After raising itself into its operational geostationary orbit, by means of an FG-36 apogee motor, the satellite will be positioned at a longitude of 86.5 degrees East.

At launch, Fengyun 2-07 had a mass of 1,369 kilograms (3,018 lb), however by the time it reaches its operational orbit, this will have decreased to 536 kilograms (1,182 lb), partly through jettisoning the FG-36. The spacecraft is cylindrical, with a diameter of 2.1 metres (6 ft 11 in), and a length of 4.5 metres (15 ft) fully deployed. It is spin-stabilised at a rate of 100 rpm, and carries a five-channel Stretched Visible and Infrared Spin Scan Radiometer, or S-VISSR, capable of producing visible light and infrared images of the Earth. The S-VISSR will return visible-light images with a resolution of 1.25 kilometres (0.78 mi), and infrared images with a resolution of 5 kilometres (3.1 mi). It will produce a full-disc image every thirty minutes, as well as imaging smaller areas of interest. In addition to S-VISSR, Fengyun 2-07 also carries an x-ray detector to monitor the Sun, and detect solar flares.