China launched its fifth Gaofen-9 series satellite named “Gaofen-9 05” along with two smaller payloads viz. Tiantuo-5 and Duo Gongneng Shiyan Weixing.
This launch was the 343rd mission of the Long March rocket series and the 23rd for China in 2020.
Gaofen-9 (05) is an optical remote sensing satellite developed by Aerospace Dongfanghong Satellite Co.Ltd.
The Gaofen satellites series are nominally part of the civilian China High-resolution Earth Observation System (CHEOS) to provide all-weather, all-day coverage with optical and synthetic aperture radar satellites.
Land surveying, urban planning, road network design, agriculture and disaster relief are the main uses of Gaofen satellites.
The major upcoming Chinese mission in 2020, probably in November, is the Chang’e-5 lunar sample return.
