Recent Progress of Earth Observation Satellites in China Since 2024

HUANG Shusong; XIA Tian; ZHANG Wenhui; ZHAO Yingfen; CHEN Weirong

doi:10.11728/cjss2026.04.2026-yg13

Recent Progress of Earth Observation Satellites in China Since 2024

doi: 10.11728/cjss2026.04.2026-yg13 cstr: 32142.14.cjss.2026-yg13

China Centre for Resources Satellite Data and Application, Beijing 100094

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Author Bio:
(First author) Male, born in September 1989 in Yangxin County, Shandong Province, is currently a senior engineer at China Centre for Resources Satellite Data and Application. He is engaged in the research of remote sensing satellite operation management, data process and direct economic benefit evaluation of Remote Sensing Satellite. E-mail: huangshusong@cresda.cn

Corresponding author: (Corresponding author) Female, born in April 1980, is a research professor. She has successively led the research on Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data processing algorithms, the R&D and operation of China’s terrestrial satellite ground processing systems, as well as data management, distribution and satellite data services. E-mail: weirong49@163.com

摘要

Abstract: Since 2024, China has continuously launched new Earth observation satellites, and now 33 satellites are operating stably in orbit. These satellites are equipped with optical, multispectral, infrared and radar payloads to produce rich remote sensing data. Their spatial resolution covers low, medium and high levels, enabling multi-spectral, all-time and all-weather observation across the globe. The remote sensing data are widely used in natural resource detection, environmental governance, disaster prevention and mitigation, urban mapping, agricultural and forestry investigation, geological exploration and ocean forecasting, bringing substantial social and economic benefits. This article summarizes the overall status of China’s Earth observation satellites since 2024, focusing on satellite launch progress, data coverage and data distribution performance.
- Earth observation satellites /
- Remote sensing data /
- Data archiving /
- Data distribution /
- Data coverage

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Figure 1. Global valid data coverage of 2-meter class resolution optical satellites (cloud cover ≤ 20%)

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Figure 2. Global valid data coverage of sub-meter class resolution optical satellites (cloud cover ≤ 20%)

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Figure 3. Global valid data coverage of hyperspectral optical satellites (cloud cover ≤ 20%)

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Figure 4. Global valid data coverage of thermal infrared optical satellites (cloud cover ≤ 20%)

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Figure 5. Global coverage of SAR satellites

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Table 1. List of in-orbit satellites in China(as of 31 May 2026)

Number	Satellite	Launch date	Design life / a
1	GF-1	26 Apr. 2013	5–8
2	CBERS-04	7 Dec. 2014	3
3	GF-4	29 Dec. 2015	8
4	ZY-3 02	30 May 2016	5
5	GF-3	10 Aug. 2016	8
6	CSES	2 Feb. 2018	5
7	GF-1B	31 Mar. 2018	6
8	GF-1C	31 Mar. 2018	6
9	GF-1D	31 Mar. 2018	6
10	GF-6	2 Jun, 2018	8
11	ZY-1E	12 Sept. 2019	5
12	GF-7	3 Nov. 2019	8
13	CBERS-04A	20 Dec. 2019	5
14	GFDM	3 Jul. 2020	8
15	ZY-3 03	25 Jul. 2020	8
16	HJ-2A	27 Sept. 2020	5
17	HJ-2B	27 Sept. 2020	5
18	GF-5B	7 Sept. 2021	8
19	SCSY-1	14 Oct. 2021	3
20	GF-3B	23 Nov. 2021	8
21	ZY-1F	26 Dec. 2021	8
22	LT-1A	26 Jan. 2022	8
23	LT-1B	27 Feb. 2022	8
24	GF-3C	7 Apr. 2022	8
25	DQ-1	16 Apr. 2022	8
26	CM-1	4 Aug. 2022	8
27	HJ-2E	13 Oct. 2022	8
28	GF-5 01A	9 Dec. 2022	8
29	HJ-2F	9 Aug. 2023	8
30	JZ-1	13 Aug. 2023	8
31	CSES 02	14 Jun, 2025	6
32	ZY-3 04	16 Dec. 2025	8
33	DQ-2	17 Apr. 2026	8

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Table 2. Statistics of imagery data distribution (as of 31 May 2026)

Satellite (Payload)	Distribution / scenes
CBERS-01/02	331001
CBERS-02B	806966
HJ-1A	4016256
HJ-1B	1662455
SJ-9A	997632
HJ-1C	382011
GF-5	1009098
ZY-1 02C	1811628
ZY3-01	3202018
GF-1	26284427
GF-2	26592631
CB-04	1914055
GF-4	4203039
ZY3-02	3502655
GF-3	4630961
GF-1B	2691566
GF-1C	2470165
GF-1D	2507470
GF-6	3723628
ZY-1E	1111389
GF-7	2790774
CB04A	231850
ZY3-03	1293772
HJ-2A	3020296
HJ-2B	3005590
GF-5B	5141788
GF-3B	1678766
ZY-1F	1434835
LT-1A	589715
LT-1B	576664
GF-3C	1669067
DQ-1(WSI)	1023839
CM-1(DMC)	2465881
HJ-2E	873163
GF-5 01A	1315333
HJ-2F	609021
JZ-1	68580
ZY3-04	67308
total	121707293

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