Earth-observation satellite commissioned

The China National Space Administration formally commissioned an advanced Earth-observation satellite on Tuesday afternoon.

At a commissioning ceremony in Beijing, officials from the space administration and the spacecraft's users including the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, the Ministry of Natural Resources and the China Meteorological Administration signed a certificate to open formal operations of the Hyperspectral Multifunctional Observation Satellite, also known as Gaofen 5-01A.

Several world-class apparatuses on the satellite, including a wide thermal infrared imager and an advanced hyper-spectral imager, will help scientists track greenhouse gases such as nitrogen dioxide and ozone, monitor water quality in lakes and rivers, and look for minerals and other resources, the administration said in a news release.