China to set up world's first satellite constellation for disaster monitoring

China will set up a small satellite constellation for environmental and disaster monitoring and prediction in next six years, the first of this kind in the world, said Luan Enjie, director of the China National Space Administration (CNSA).

China plans to launch six small optical satellites and five small SAR satellites in next six years to form the satellite constellation, Luan told Xinhua Tuesday at the high-level panel on knowledge-based disaster management at the ongoing 60th session of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and thePacific (ESCAP).

In the first phase of the project from 2005 to 2006, two small optical satellites and one small SAR satellites will be launched to reach a satellite visiting period of once every 48 hours, Luan said.

After that, four small optical satellites and four small SAR satellites will be launched by 2010 to realize a satellite visiting period of once every 12 hours, he added.

"We will not establish a round-the-clock monitoring system on environmental changes and disasters in China until setting up a satellite constellation," said Luo Ge, official with the CNSA.

Its ground system will also predict natural disasters in China such as floods, earthquakes, droughts, typhoons and forest fires and offer solutions, he added.

Three satellites for the first phase are being developed and will be sent to the solar synchronization orbit 500 to 700 km away from the earth one by one carrying facilities including cameras with a resolution of 30 meters at most, Luo said.

China expects to introduce international partners in the second phase of the project, he said.

"We hope the satellite constellation will be part of the anti-disaster platform in the Asia-Pacific region," Luan said, "China would like to push forward the application of space technologies in disaster control in this region to share resources, cut costs and reduce risks."

"China would like to fully play its role in disaster control in the world and peaceful development of the outer space," he added.

According to the China International Committee for Natural Disaster (CICND), more than 200 million Chinese suffer natural disasters every year. Last year natural disasters caused a loss worth of 188.4 billion yuan in China, equal to 1.6 percent of the country's gross domestic product (GDP).