China To Launch Civil Geo-mapping Satellite Next Month [Xinhua]

China aims to follow up a year of milestones with the January launch of Ziyuan 3, its first high-resolution geological mapping satellite for civil purposes, the official Xinhua News Agency reported Dec. 19.

Ziyuan 3 will “conduct surveys on land resources, help with natural disaster-reduction and prevention and lend assistance to farming, water conservation, urban planning and other sectors,” Xinhua said.

After its launch aboard a Long March 4B rocket from Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in the northern Shanxi Province, Ziyuan 3 will survey the area between 84 degrees north and 84 degrees south latitude, the report said.