China Launches Aircraft Carrier Hunter Gaofen-4 Geostationary Satellite

An earlier nighttime Long March 3B rocket launch from the Xichang Satellite Launch Centre, lofting the APSTAR-9 satellite on October 16, 2015.

Gbtimes.com says in its report “China launches Gaofen-4 dual-use geostationary satellite”, “Defensenews.com, citing China Youth Daily, claims that the express purpose of Gaofen-4 is hunting US aircraft carriers and forms part of a network that ‘will work together to locate, target and destroy aircraft carriers and destroyers’” though “Official Chinese sources state the main functions of the satellite as monitoring resources and environment, tracking climate change and economic and social development, with clients including the Ministry of Environmental Protection.”

Anyway, according to Professor Bhupendra Jasani at King’s College London, satellites in geostationary orbit (GSO) are usually used for early warning purposes, with sensors on board able to detect launches of missiles much earlier than land-based sensors.

The following is the full text of gbtimes.com’s report:

China launches Gaofen-4 dual-use geostationary satellite

China on Monday launched its Gaofen-4 Earth observation satellite toward a geostationary orbit, from which it will able to perform a range of civilian and military applications – including detecting US aircraft carriers.

A Long March 3B rocket, currently China’s most powerful in use, lofted the satellite from the Xichang Satellite Launch Centre in the southwestern Sichuan province at 16:04 UTC (00:04 Beijing time, Tuesday).

Gaofen-4 will offer optical spatial resolution of better than 50 metres and infrared sensing capabilities from geostationary orbit. It is designed to operate for eight years at an altitude of almost 37,000km above the Earth.

The 4,600kg satellite is part of the China High-resolution Earth Observation System (CHEOS).

According to the China National Space Administration (CNSA), CHEOS aims to provide China with all-weather, all-day and global Earth observation coverage by 2020.

Gaofen-4 will cover an imaging area of 7,000 km × 7,000 km. The mission follows the launch of Gaofen-1, -2, -8 and -9 satellites, providing high-resolution images of Beijing and other areas.

Professor Li Bin, of the Department of International Relations at Tsinghua University, told gbtimes that: “The main breakthrough of Gaofen-4 is it will realise high-precision survey and image synthesis, long-distance imaging and data processing and transmission.”

Li says Gaofen-4 has adopted sophisticated photo-electronic imaging technologies and belongs to the advanced level of international satellites.

Aircraft carrier hunter?

Official Chinese sources state the main functions of the satellite as monitoring resources and environment, tracking climate change and economic and social development, with clients including the Ministry of Environmental Protection.

Contrary this, reports in Chinese media – later picked up by US outlets – claim that the satellite can and will be used to detect US aircraft carriers in China’s neighbourhood.

Defensenews.com, citing China Youth Daily, claims that the express purpose of Gaofen-4 is hunting US aircraft carriers and forms part of a network that “will work together to locate, target and destroy aircraft carriers and destroyers.”

Professor Li Bin says however that spotting aircraft carriers is not the main goal of the satellite.

“If an aircraft carrier comes into Gaofen-4’s view, it should be able to spot it. [However] The main goal is to serve China’s economic development. Of course there will be security functions, but obviously they are not the major functions.

“[Gaofen-4] will provide information for oil exploration, agricultural harvest, natural disaster and maritime search and rescue,” Li says.

Professor Bhupendra Jasani at King’s College London explains that satellites in geostationary orbit (GSO) are usually used for early warning purposes, with sensors on board able to detect launches of missiles much earlier than land-based sensors.

He notes that such a satellite is of great importance for China’s security, stating that China’s interest would be to observe the US, Russia and other states in the region for launches of missiles.

“Satellites form an essential element of terrestrial weapons, nuclear as well as conventional ones. As a nuclear weapon state and constantly trying to exert its influence in world affairs, early warning satellite and others would be essential for China, who is concerned particularly about the USA and Russia from its security point of view,” Professor Jasani notes.

Professor Jasani also explains that GSO weather satellites measure a number of characteristics of the atmosphere, for example, temperature, pressure and particular content.

“The knowledge of these enable improvement of missile trajectory for accurate delivery of weapons.”

Such information could be used to assist delivery of China’s Dongfeng 21D “carrier killer” missiles and its intercontinental ballistic missiles.

While there are clear dual-uses to the satellite, as with many space assets, Professor Li states that the Gaofen series is not military in nature.

“Gaofen satellites have nothing to do with militarisation of outer space, but it is undeniable that Gaofen-4 could detect lots of information, some of which could also be used for military purposes. Both China and other countries could do this.”

The US will use the Space-Based Infrared System (SBIRS) for infrared space surveillance, taking over from its Defense Support Program (DSP) for early warning and reconnaissance.

Li adds that such an association is a wrong way to look at things. “It neither helps the world understand China’s foreign policy and technological development policy, nor helps other countries to arrange their own technological projects. If people use this view point of antagonism, it is not cooperative.”

Conversely, Li says, the focus should be on how to use China’s rapid development of economy and technology to benefit both Chinese people and people from other countries and boost cooperation.

China’s 2015 space activities

Gaofen-4 was China’s 19th orbital launch of busy year and follows on from the DAMPE/Wukong dark matter probe launched on December 17.

Previous missions include the lofting of four Beidou global positioning satellites, the high-resolution Gaofen-8 andGaofen-9 earth observation satellites and related Yaogan-27,-28 and -29 birds.

In a leap for Chinese carrier rockets, the autumn saw the debut launch of the next-gen, kerosene/liquid oxygen Long March 6, which put 20 small satellites in orbit. The maiden flight of the solid-fuelled Long March 11 also marked new, rapid-response launch capabilities.

Other notable missions include Jilin-1, China’s first self-developed commercial remote sensing satellite, and APSTAR-9, developed and launched on behalf of a major regional satellite fleet operator. China also lofted the first satellite for the southeast Asian nation of Laos, LaoSat-1.

Source: gbtimes.com “China launches Gaofen-4 dual-use geostationary satellite”