A Chinese Long March 3A rocket, stripped of the characteristic boosters of the often-launched CZ-3B, will lift the country’s Fengyun-2H meteorological satellite into a Geostationary Transfer Orbit. This will be the last in China’s first-generation of geostationary weather satellites as the country’s Fengyun-4 next-generation GEO weather satellite series began deployment in 2016, switching from the antiquated spin-stabilized satellites to three-axis stabilized, multi-instrumented satellites.

Fengyun (Chinese for ‘Winds and Clouds’) is China’s Meteorological Satellite Program, consisting of at least one operational satellite in Geostationary Orbit and several satellites in polar orbits, creating a satellite constellation to monitor the Chinese and surrounding territory and deliver timely data relevant for weather forecasting and nowcasting.

Mission Resources:

? Launch Vehicle Overview: Long March 3A

? Payload Overview: Fengyun-2 Overview

☂ Launch Weather

? Launch Site Schedule