Mission type | Earth observation |
---|---|
Operator | CASC |
COSPAR ID | 2012-020A |
SATCAT no. | 38256 |
Start of mission | |
Launch date | 6 May 2012, 07:10:05 | UTC
Rocket | Chang Zheng 2D |
Launch site | Jiuquan LA-4/SLS-2 |
Orbital parameters | |
Reference system | Geocentric |
Regime | Low Earth |
Perigee altitude | 492 kilometres (306 mi)[1][2] |
Apogee altitude | 504 kilometres (313 mi)[1][2] |
Inclination | 97.35 degrees[2] |
Period | 94.57 minutes[3] |
Epoch | 6 May 2012[3] |
Tian Hui-1 (also known as Mapping Satellite I) is a Chinese Earth observation satellite built by Dong Feng Hong, a China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC). Tian Hui-1 was launched on 6 May 2012 at 9:10 UTC on a Long March 2D rocket into a Sun-synchronous, polar orbit with an perigee of 490 km (300 mi) and apogee of 505 km (314 mi).[4]
According to the Chinese Ministry of Defense the new satellite carries scientific experiments and is to be used for the evaluation of ground resources and mapping.[5]
Tian Hui 1 is equipped with two different camera systems in the visible and infrared range. The visible light camera is able to produce three-dimensional pictures in the spectral region between 510 and 690 nanometers with a dissolution of approximately 5 meters and a field of view of approximately 25 degrees. The infrared camera reaches a dissolution of approximately 10 meters and covers four wavelengths (430 - 520 Nm, 520 - 610 Nm, 610 - 690 Nm and 760 - 900 Nm).[5]