Overview: China's major space programs in 2020

4. Gaofen program

China has set goals to build a space-based, high-resolution Earth observation network by 2020, since it launched the Gaofen (high resolution) program, one of the 16 important national projects in science and technology, in May 2010.

So far, more than 10 Gaofen satellites have been launched, and all of them are in active service.

Gaofen 7 launched on Nov 3, 2019, for example, is China's first civil-use optical transmission three-dimensional surveying and mapping satellite that reaches the sub-meter level.

Images and data from the Gaofen satellites have been widely used in more than 20 industries across China and have helped reduce the country's dependence on foreign remote-sensing products. It has also helped serve countries participating in the Belt and Road Initiative.