China launches remote-sensing satellite

THE POPULOUS Republic of China has successfully launched a satellite which will be extremely useful at having a shifty at what its citizens are up too.

The remote-sensing satellite "Yaogan V" was launched from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Centre in north China's Shanxi Province.

According to the Chinese, the beast will collect data collection involving land resource use and protection, town planning, crop yield estimates, disaster prevention and reduction, and space science experiments.

The Yaogan range of satellites have been heading into space since April 2006.

Developed by the China Aerospace Science and Technology, the rocket was designed by the Shanghai Academy of Space flight Technology.

Remote sensing is the ability to see what people are doing from high in space.  But it is particularly effective at keeping an eye on what farmers are up to.

It seems that the Chinese learnt this from the Land of the Free where the US Department of Agriculture uses satellite photography to investigate subsidy fraud.  Farmers have a tendency to ask for handouts when their crop is destroyed by weather and some naughty American farmers even plant nothing and then say their crop was destroyed.

In China such satellite sensing can be used to find out where the crop has gone or if it has been sold on the Black Market or if proceeds have ended up in the pockets of local officials.µ

L'Inq
Space Travel