A Guangzhou weather satellite ground station successfully received HRPT cloud images

from a FY-3 weather satellite at 10:16 a.m. May 29, 2008. FY-3A weather satellite marks

a transition from pure remote sensing to an integrated earth environment sounding,

enjoying four major technology breakthroughs from optical sounding to microwave

sounding, from a resolution at the kilometer level to a hundred meter level, and from

domestic reception to polar reception. Equipped with diverse sounding instruments, the

new satellite is able to monitor both earth atmosphere and ecological environment in an

all-weather, global, multi-spectrum, and 3-D manner. According to the work schedule,

researchers will open up 11 remote sensing and sounding instruments aboard the satellite

in the coming 5 weeks, allowing a 4-month in-orbit test before putting them into operation.