China Successfully Launches Fengyun-3 08 Satellite to Boost Global Weather and Climate Monitoring

Successful Liftoff from Jiuquan

China successfully launched the Fengyun-3 08 meteorological satellite into orbit on Saturday, September 27, 2025, at 3:28 a.m. Beijing Time. The launch took place from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China. The satellite was carried aloft by a Long March-4C carrier rocket, which successfully placed it into its preset orbit. Both the satellite and the rocket were developed by the Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology.

Advanced Capabilities for Earth Observation

The Fengyun-3 08 operates in a sun-synchronous orbit and is equipped with nine remote sensing instruments. These include a medium-resolution spectral imager, an infrared hyperspectral atmospheric detector, and a microwave imager. A key advancement of this satellite is its ability to achieve high-precision global greenhouse gas detection with a 100-kilometer width, a scale previously unreached. It is designed to form a cluster with two other Fengyun satellites, aiming for 100 percent global coverage of observation data.

Enhancing Weather Forecasting and Climate Research

The primary mission of the Fengyun-3 08 satellite is to significantly enhance capabilities in weather forecasting, atmospheric chemistry research, and climate change monitoring. The network of Fengyun satellites, with the addition of Fengyun-3 08, is expected to reduce the update time for weather data required for numerical weather forecasting assimilation from six hours to four hours. Furthermore, its operations are projected to extend weather forecasts by approximately 24 hours and improve disaster monitoring efficiency by nearly 100 percent, thereby bolstering China's capabilities in global numerical weather prediction and response to global climate change.

Jiuquan: A Historic Launch Site

The Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, China's oldest rocket launch facility, was established in 1958 in the Gobi Desert. It has been a pivotal site for China's space endeavors, including the launch of the nation's first satellite in 1970 and its inaugural crewed space mission in 2003. This latest launch marks the 596th flight mission of the Long March carrier rocket series, underscoring China's ongoing commitment to advancing its space program for scientific and environmental benefits.