China's Fengyun-4B satellite takes over Fengyun-4A missions

A Long March-3B carrier rocket blasts off from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in southwest China's Sichuan Province, June 3, 2021, sending a new meteorological satellite into planned orbit. (Photo by Guo Wenbin/Xinhua)

BEIJING, March 6 (Xinhua) -- The meteorological satellite, Fengyun-4B (FY-4B), has succeeded FY-4A and resumed its operations on Tuesday after almost a month of drift and adjustment, according to China Meteorological Administration.

FY-4B started drifting from 133 degrees east longitude on Feb. 1 this year, and arrived at the geostationary orbit at 105 degrees east longitude on Feb. 19. The scope monitored by FY-4B has moved further westward after its orbit was adjusted, enabling it to better serve more Belt and Road countries.

FY-4B is currently in its optimal state with the well-operated satellite-Earth system and the optimized technical performance, said Zheng Xudong, an official with the National Satellite Meteorological Center.

He said that it can achieve a temporal-spatial resolution of 250 meters within one minute, providing more powerful technical supports for disastrous weather monitoring and forecasting.

Next, FY-4A and its ground system will keep operating while its work intensity will be gradually reduced, he added.

FY-4B was launched by a Long March-3B rocket from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in Sichuan Province on June 3, 2021. It has formed a network with FY-4A, which was launched into space in Dec. 2016, to provide more accurate and faster weather data.