China launches ocean-salinity detection satellite

China launched an ocean-salinity detection satellite into space from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in north China’s Shanxi Province on Thursday. Carried by a Long March-4B Y53 carrier rocket, the satellite has successfully entered its preset orbit.

The satellite will fill the gap in China’s high-precision global ocean-salinity detection capabilities, improve data collection on ocean dynamics and environmental factors, and boost the accuracy of China’s marine forecasting products, according to the China National Space Administration.

As part of China’s civilian space infrastructure, the satellite, also known as Ocean-4 01, aims to support marine environmental and ecological forecasting, water-cycle monitoring, short-term climate prediction, data collection and among others.