The China National Space Administration (CNSA) did not specify the orbit intended for the Gaofen-13, but the rocket's identity holds a clue. Of the 25 spacecraft in the Gaofen (high-resolution) satellite series launched since 2013 (excluding one launch failure), only two- the Gaofen-4 in 2015 and now the Gaofen-13-were carried to space by a Long March 3B rocket, one of only two Chinese launch vehicles capable of placing heavy payloads into geostationary transfer orbit. The Gaofen-4 has served as China's all-seeing eye at about 22,000 mi. above the Asia-Pacific region since 2015. The spacecraft's panchromatic, multispectral and infrared imaging payloads have generated nearly 600,000 pieces of image data, capturing an average of 72 scenes per day with a resolution of 50 m (164 ft.), according to the latest data published by the CNSA on Sept. 9.
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