China on Wednesday sent its largest land monitoring satellite into space. While Turkey and Pakistan are collaborating in satellite tech, Pakistan must also seek help from China’s newly launched satellite.
The L-SAR 01A satellite was launched aboard a Long March-4C carrier rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwestern China, public broadcaster CGTN reported.
Synthetic aperture radar, or SAR, “is a type of microwave remote-sensing technology used to study geological environment and monitor landslides and earthquakes,” the report said.
The L-SAR 01A is China’s “largest land observation satellite operating in orbit by caliber, a key measurement to gauge capability,” it added.
A very significant development in terms of performance of this SAR satellite. The razor sharp focus of putting advanced ISR systems in space will enhance China’s kill chain options manifold.
China launches L-SAR 01A satellite for land observation – CGTN https://t.co/DROwb6ROrP
— Sameer Joshi (@joe_sameer) January 27, 2022
The satellite weighs 3.2 tons and has an antenna spanning over 33 square meters (355 square feet).
The satellite will help Beijing “conduct mass terrain survey at millimeter precision” and also enable scientists to “better survey areas covered by forest,” the report said.
The Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology said the satellite “can significantly reduce China’s dependence on SAR data provided by other countries.”
Read more: Turkiye’s new satellite sends first signals
This was also the first launch of China’s indigenously built Long March carrier rockets this year. The country has so far used 407 Long March carrier rockets for space launches.
Pakistan, Turkey join satellite program
It appears that Pakistan and Turkey are collaborating on a joint satellite program. Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) TUSAS revealed the news through its official Twitter account.
According to the tweet, TAI stated that it will cooperate with Pakistan Space & Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO) to develop satellite projects.
This is indeed a major development. Important to note, TAI is Turkey’s technology center for the development, modernization, manufacture, system integration, and lifecycle support of the aviation and space industry systems.
Its wide array of products includes combat helicopters, aircrafts, and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for which Turkey prides itself in.
Read more: Pakistan Turkey to jointly produce military drones
Anadolu with additional input by GVS News Desk