China to build satellite constellation for natural disaster observation

China has initiated a project of building a constellation of 36 low-orbit satellites to gather information for forecasting natural disasters and monitoring urban emergencies.

The project undertaken by the Tianjin Satcom Geohe Technologies Co., Ltd. was inaugurated on Tuesday in China's spacecraft launch center of Wenchang, in south China's Hainan Province.

Guo Jianqiang, president of the tech firm based in north China's Tianjin Municipality, said the first satellite will be launched and commissioned in space in June 2022. All 36 satellites will have been launched by the end of May in 2023 to complete the constellation.

The satellite network will provide high-resolution images to help observers identify millimeter-level geological deformations in order to gauge the possibilities of geological disasters, such as landslide, subsidence and collapse, said Guo, also an official with China Geological Survey.

Guo said satellite data combined with geological survey and monitoring data captured by ground sensors in geohazard-prone areas can significantly improve the accuracy and timeliness of natural disaster prediction.