China, France to launch their first joint satellite

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Aerospace has been an important area of bilateral ties between China and France, especially since a partnership agreement was signed more than 20 years ago.

A prime example of that cooperation is a ground-breaking oceanography satellite jointly developed by the two nations that is being tested ahead of a planned launch later this year.

The satellite will allow humans to observe ocean wave patterns and winds simultaneously for the first time. It will, therefore, provide a lot of data which will be very useful in observing the climate, according to Jean-Yves Le Gall, president of CNES, French Space Agency.

The China-France Oceanic Satellite is now being tested. /CGTN Photo

Wang Lili, project manager of the Beijing-based China-France Oceanic Satellite, said it's a brand new discovery. What they are trying to find out, she added, are the causes of waves and the relationship between wind and waves.

It will assist in global oceanographic research generally, such as in wind and wave forecasting.

More than 100 Chinese and French scientists have been working on the satellite's development for years.

It is scheduled to be launched in the second half of this year and is in the stage of final assembly, said Wang.

Wang Lili, project manager of the satellite project. /CGTN Photo

She added that an electrical performance test had just finished and a series of large examinations will now begin.

When it’s ready, the satellite will be sent into orbit 500 kilometers above the earth for three years.

The president of the French Space Agency said that France brings its expertise and, more specifically, an instrument to observe the waves. China provides hardware in launching, test control, and developing satellite platforms since the country has very mature products, said Wang.

Jean-Yves Le Gall, president of CNES /CGTN Photo

The project is only a start. An X-ray telescope satellite being developed by both countries to study gamma-ray bursts is scheduled for launch in 2021.

Officials expect joint space exploration efforts to continue between China and France, building on 20 years of cooperation on Earth.