China launches Fengyun-3F meteorological satellite to orbit

China has added a new satellite to its fleet of meteorological spacecraft. A Long March 4C rocket lifted off from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the Gobi Desert on Aug. 2 at 11:47 p. m. EDT. Orange smoke from the rocket's hypergolic propellant billowed out upon ignition, with purple exhaust pushing the rocket into blue skies. Aboard was the Fengyun-3F satellite, which joins the China Meteorological Administration's fleet of Fengyun satellites in low Earth and geosynchronous orbits. The satellite had a mass of around 5,070 pounds at launch and is expected to operate for around a decade. Chinese state media report that the satellite will be used to collect data for climate change, atmospheric chemistry and atmospheric environment research. U.S. Space Force situational awareness tracked the satellite in a nearly circular 501-mile-high orbit with an inclination of 98 degrees, seeing it orbit close to the poles. China is currently the only country with four near-Earth orbit meteorological satellites in sun-synchronous early morning, morning, afternoon and non-sun-synchronous orbits, according to an article posted by the World Meteorological Organization.