Sources from the hand-over ceremony of China-Brazil Earth Resources Satellite (CBERS)-2 on Feb. 12 said that China's resources satellites have entered the stage for serial production and maturity with further enhanced international competitiveness.

CBERS-2 was delivered from the development department, China Aerospace Science & Technology Corp. to the representative of the users, China Center for Resource Satellite Data and Applications (CRESDA) at the hand-over ceremony held by the Commission of Science Technology and Industry for National Defense in Beijing on Feb.12. Personage with China Aerospace Science & Technology Corp. said that the hand-over of CBERS-1 for use ended the dependence of China and Brazil on other countries for resources satellite data and that of CBERS-2 marked that China's resources satellites have entered the stage for serial production and maturity. Currently, China and Brazil are undergoing the development of CBERS-3 and 4, and in the meanwhile the two sides have also decided to launch cooperation in terms of constructing the satellite ground system, developing satellite application technology and other aerospace technologies.

The CBERS-2 delivered this time has more advanced equipment than CBERS-1. In-orbit testing showed that, CBERS-2 can make images with much improved quality than CBERS-1. The data can meet the requirement of making satellite images at a scale of 1:100,000. In some areas, it can achieve a scale of 1: 500,000 or even larger, thereby providing more accurate data graphics for (research on) land resources, weather forecast, environmental protection, monitoring forest fires and predicting the agricultural output etc. To date some countries have shown great interest in China's resources satellites in the hope to receive data transmitted by CBERS.

(People's Daily February 14, 2004)