China's Shanghai Aerospace Administration (SAA) will launch around 10 satellites, rockets and spacecraft in 2002, an unheard of number in its 40 year history.

Among the new missions, SAA will use its Long March 4 launcher to send weather satellite Fengyun 1-D into space in the first half of this year.

Fengyun 1-D will function as a follow-up to Fengyun 1-C, a SAA product which is still running well after its 38-month service life has expired. Fengyun 1-D is to serve medium and long-term weather forecast, including the monitoring of weather conditions for the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.

SAA's strength is in scientific and technological research on satellite, rocket and spacecraft. The Long March series of launchers, the fruit of its Research and Development program, has made more than 20 successful space missions.

(Xinhua News Agency January 24, 2002)