Late Saturday, China augmented its Earth observation resources with the successful launch of a second Gaofen-14 mapping satellite. The launch, utilizing a Long March 3B rocket, occurred at 11:55 p.m. Eastern, Oct. 25 (0355 UTC, Oct. 26) from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center, located in Sichuan, southwest China.
The China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) confirmed the mission's success shortly after liftoff, identifying the payload as the Gaofen-14 (02) Earth observation satellite. This satellite joins the China High-resolution Earth Observation System (CHEOS), which includes a range of optical, multispectral, hyperspectral, and synthetic aperture radar satellites. The CHEOS program supports various applications, including land surveying, urban planning, road network design, agriculture, and disaster relief.
The first Gaofen satellite, Gaofen-1, was launched in 2013, marking the operational beginning of CHEOS. While considerable public information exists for Gaofen satellites 1-7, the details surrounding the higher-numbered satellites are less readily available, hinting at potential dual-use applications. It is known that China operates five Gaofen-11 satellites, which are reported to be capable of delivering optical imagery with a resolution of approximately 10 centimeters.
Gaofen-14 (02) follows the launch of its predecessor in December 2020. According to a 2023 technical paper, the first Gaofen-14 is “primarily utilized for global high-precision positioning and generating 1:10,000 scale geographic information products, making it one of the most accurate stereo mapping satellites in China.” The satellite boasts advanced multi-payload integrated Earth observation technology, including dual-line-array cameras, a hyperspectral camera, and a ranging laser. It provides a panchromatic ground resolution of around 0.6 meters and a multispectral resolution of approximately 2.4 meters, with a swath width of about 40 kilometers. The hyperspectral camera encompasses around 100 bands, with a visible-near-infrared resolution of 5 m.
The addition of the second Gaofen-14 satellite significantly enhances China’s capabilities in high-resolution stereo earth observation. The Gaofen-14 (02) satellite was manufactured by CASC’s China Academy of Space Technology (CAST). Data suggests the satellite occupies a similar 486 by 493-km-altitude sun-synchronous orbit (SSO) as the first Gaofen-14 satellite.
This launch marks only the second time the Long March 3B has sent a payload into SSO in over 100 launches. The mission utilized an extended 4.2-meter-diameter fairing to accommodate the “relatively tall” Gaofen-14 (02) satellite, according to CASC’s China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (CALT).
The launch of Gaofen-14 (02) represents China’s 66th orbital launch attempt of 2025. The Shenzhou-21 crewed mission is scheduled for launch on Oct. 31 from Jiuquan spaceport.