China launches high-resolution Earth-observation satellite

CASIC began to develop the Kuaizhou series in 2009 as a low-cost, quick-response product for the commercial space market. The company has built a manufacturing complex for its Kuaizhou-series carrier rockets at the 68.8-square-kilometer Wuhan National Space Industry Base in Central China's Hubei province. The rocket factory has begun first-phase operation with an initial production capacity of 20 Kuaizhou-series rockets a year.

The Jilin-1 Gaofen-02D, developed by Changguang Satellite Technology in Northeast China's Jilin province, is tasked with generating remote-sensing data for a host of public sectors, such as land resources monitoring, mineral resources development, urban management and environmental inspection.