Chinese Academy of Engineering academician Xu Jianmin received the 70th International Meteorological Organization (IMO) Prize in Geneva on Wednesday.

Xu is widely recognized as a founder and leading architect of China's Fengyun meteorological satellite program. He helped chart the program's development roadmap and drove the launch of Fengyun-1 and Fengyun-2 satellites, marking a historic leap in China's space-based weather capability.

He also promoted international services by optimizing Fengyun-2H to improve coverage over the Indian Ocean and supporting the launch of Fengyun-3E, the world’s first civilian operational dawn-dusk-orbit meteorological satellite. 

Xu said the prize money will establish a new "MAZU Prize" to encourage contributions to Fengyun applications and early-warning capacity building.

The IMO Prize, regarded as the highest honor in global meteorology, is often called the "Nobel Prize of meteorology." It is awarded annually for outstanding contributions to meteorology, hydrology, and geophysical sciences.