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CFOSAT (Zhongfa Haiyangxue Weixing)

CFOSAT 1 [CAST]

CFOSAT (Chinese-French Oceanography Satellite) or Zhongfa Haiyangxue Weixing is a joint Chinese and French oceanography mission with the goal to monitor the ocean surface winds and waves and to provide information on related ocean and atmospheric science and applications. The mission is conducted by the China National Space Administration (CNSA) and the French CNES.

It is based on the CAST2000 platform developed by the China Academy of Space Technology (CAST). The launch mass is about 600 kg.

CFOSAT will carry two radar instruments, whose data will be downlinked to French and Chinese receiving stations:

  • SWIM (Surface Waves Investigation and Monitoring), a wave scatterometer supplied by CNES; SWIM’s 6 rotating beams will enable it to measure wave properties (direction, wavelength, etc.)
  • SCAT (wind SCAT terometer), a wind-field scatterometer supplied by CNSA. SCAT will measure wind intensity and direction.

It was launched in 2018 on a CZ-2C (3) rocket from China's Jiuquan space center.

Nation: China, France
Type / Application: Earth Science
Operator: CNSA, CNES
Contractors: CAST
Equipment: SWIM, SCAT
Configuration: CAST2000 bus
Propulsion:
Power: 2 deployable fixed solar array, batteries
Lifetime: 3 years
Mass: ~600 kg
Orbit: 509 km × 523 km, 97.53°
Satellite COSPAR Date LS Launch Vehicle Remarks
CFOSAT (Zhongfa Haiyangxue Weixing) 2018-083A 29.10.2018 Jq LC-43/94 CZ-2C (3) with Xiaoxiang 1-02, Tongchuan 1, Tianqi 1, Xinghe, Changshagaoxin, CubeBel 1, ?

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