At 2:00 p.m. on December 8, the first visible light image captured from FY-3D was successfully transmitted to the ground. This image clearly demonstrates atmospheric, marine and land observation information from South China Sea to Northwest China. after its operational application, FY-3D meteorological satellite will lend a helping hand in scaling up weather prediction level, addressing climate change, serving ecological civilization, disaster prevention and mitigation, and “Belt and Road” Initiative.

FY-3D was lifted off on November 15 and is the second operational satellite among second-generation polar-orbiting meteorological satellites of China. On the afternoon of December 8, FY-3D flied over China from south to north and transmitted the first image at 2:07 p.m. and formed a true color image synergized by three channels.

The first visible light image of FY-3D

Mr. Yang Jun, Director of National Satellite Meteorological Center (NSMC) said that FY-3D boasts a very high imaging quality judged by the detail and texture of the image. Marine and land information of South China Sea, the Yarlung Zangbo River, Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, and Northwest Desert are all visible from the image, as well as endemic information in salt lake, alluvial fan, and snow cover.

The image comes from Medium Resolution Spectrum Imager (MERSI). It is one of the core instruments of FY-3 series satellite and can rival imaging instrument onboard newly launched American polar-orbiting meteorological satellite JPSS-1. It is the first imaging instrument which can access 250-meter resolution ultraviolet split-window area in the world, capturing seamless 250-meter resolution true color global image on a daily basis. MERSI is also fitted with the high-quality quantitative inversion capabilities of atmospheric, land and marine parameters such as clouds, aerosols, vapor, land surface features and ocean color.

FY-3D also has onboard 9 cutting-edge remote sensing instruments, providing important support for mid-to-long term numerical weather prediction (NWP), space infrastructure security, and so on.

The mission of FY-3D’s first image is undertaken by satellite ground stations in Guangzhou, Urumqi, and Kiamusze. At present, reception equipment in 5 ground stations at home and abroad in charge of global satellite data reception and transmission is in functional state. Especially the activation of Antarctica satellite data reception station ensures that 90% global observation data is transmitted to China 80 minutes upon observation. Satellite-ground data transmission rate has augmented by 30%. The computing capacity is up by 17.5 times and data storage capacity has multiplied by about 10 times.

The first image of FY-3D (Leizhou Peninsula of China)

Ms. Liu Yaming, Administrator of China Meteorological Administration expressed that the successful reception of the first FY-3D image marked that it has marched the first step in application. Meteorological departments will further beef up satellite remote sensing integrated application system construction, give full play to satellite data, and robustly underpin beautiful China construction and national integrated disaster prevention and reduction.

From mid-December, FY-3D will embark on a half-year in-orbit testing, and is on track to complete operational application before the flood season in 2018. At that time, it will form network observation operation with FY-3C. (Dec. 11)

Reporter: Lu Jian, Jia Jingxi

Editor: Liu Shuqiao