Space Cover #518: GaoFen-11 LaunchChina had the most satellite launches by country in the world in 2018, having over one-third of the total worldwide launches.
- China: 39 launches (34%)
- USA: 31 launches (27%)
- Russia: 20 launches (18%)
- Europe: 8 launches (7%)
- India: 7 launches (6%)
- Japan: 6 launches (5%)
- New Zealand: 3 launches (3%)
Fortunately, space cover collectors can collect covers for many of the Chinese launches as covers have been created for them.
Pictured is a scan of a cover serviced for China’s launch of a GaoFen-11 Earth-Imaging Satellite, Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center on July, 18, 2018.The optical Earth-imaging satellite launched aboard a Long March 4B booster successfully into orbit.
The three-stage, liquid-fueled Long March 4B rocket lifted from the Taiyuan spaceport at 11 a.m. local time. Taiyuan spaceport is a launch base located in northeastern China’s Shanxi province.
The satellite, optical imaging craft, is in the Gaofen line of Chinese Earth observation missions.
Gaofen-11, is a sub-meter resolution optical satellite, that became part of the China High-resolution Earth Observation System (CHEOS), initiated in 2010 to provide all-weather, all-day coverage by 2020 with optical and synthetic aperture radar satellites, and could also include airborne and near-space systems such as stratospheric balloons.
Gaofen-11 was developed by the China Academy of Space Technology (CAST), a spacecraft and satellite maker under CASC, but few details on its capabilities have been released.
Chinese state media reported that the Gaofen-11 satellite would be used for land surveys, urban planning, road network design, agriculture, and disaster relief, while its data will also be used for the country’s Belt and Road international trade and infrastructure initiative.
So while you are on the hunt for space covers consider looking for some Chinese launch covers, you can usually find them mixed in with the foreign/oversized covers dealer boxes...
posted 06-12-2019 01:56 PM
advertisement