China will launch its third geostationary meteorological satellite, the Fengyun-2-06, some time next week, the China Meteorological Administration (CMA) told Xinhua on Friday.

It will take off from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in southwestern Sichuan Province.

According to the CMA, Fengyun-2-06 will copy meteorological data from preceding satellites after orbit operation trials.

It is designed to replace Fengyun-2-C which has outlived its service.

The country launched two satellites Fengyun-2-C and Fengyun-2-D in 2004 and 2006 respectively for meteorological observation. Both captured high-quality data for weather forecasting, climate change prediction and natural disaster supervision.

Statistics show more than 2,500 users, both at home and abroad, have been receiving and applying materials processed by the Fengyun-2 satellite series.

(Xinhua News Agency December 19, 2008)