China will launch three small disaster-monitoring satellites in
2007, announced Wang Zhenyao, director of the disaster relief
department of the Ministry of Civil Affairs.
"Based on the satellite network, China will construct a
ground-to-air satellite constellation system for
disaster-forecasting and -monitoring in 2010 when another five
satellites are to be launched into the air."
Wang made the above statement Monday at a training session on
disaster management jointly sponsored by China's Ministry of Civil
Affairs and the International Civil Defence Organization.
"Since 2001 and especially in the last two years, China's
disaster-relief system has developed rapidly, with many
technological elements being injected," said Wang.
During the 1990s, a proposal was put forward for the building of
a network of orbital satellites specifically designed to monitor
and forecast disasters. This constellation satellite system was the
joint effort of the State Environmental Protection Administration
of China, the National Commission for Disaster Reduction and the
China Aerospace Corporation Organization.
This satellite system was listed as a key project for civilian
satellite development in the China's Space Activities, a white paper
published by the State Council Information Office on November 22,
2000. Finally, in February 2003, China's State Council
green-lighted the project, enabling it to proceed.
Wang said that the satellite constellation system would be the
most advanced and complicated of its kind in China to date.
With its current more than 2,000 environment-monitoring stations
established nationwide, China can currently produce over 30 million
types of environment monitoring-related data. Despite this
pre-existing set-up, "China's disaster-monitoring means are still
backward," said Wang.
China suffers from one of the highest rate of natural disasters
occurring anywhere in the world, with about 200 million victims
suffering from various disasters each year.
Natural disasters occurring in China in 2005 caused 2,475 deaths
and 204.2 billion yuan (US$25.5 billion) of direct losses.
(Xinhua News Agency August 22, 2006)