China to Launch Satellite to Monitor Arctic Shipping Routes

China announced plans to launch a new imaging satellite to monitor Arctic shipping routes. The satellite will employ Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) technology able to observe the Earth’s surface even during night time and through cloud layers or smoke. The spacecraft will be placed into a sun-synchronous orbit at an altitude of 720 kilometers and produce high quality imagery. At a resolution of 50 meters the satellite can image strips up to 300 kilometers wide. More

(Source: High North News - Dec 10)