China publishes images captured by CBERS-4 satellite

BEIJING - The China National Space Administration (CNSA) published Tuesday the first images captured by the newly launched CBERS-4 satellite jointly developed with Brazil.

The images, captured with 5m panchromatic/8m multispectral cameras, are "clear, colorful and with high quality and have met the designed standards," according the CNSA.

China launched the CBERS-4, the fifth satellite of the Chinese-Brazilian Earth Resource Satellite (CBERS) program, from the Taiyuan satellite launch center in northern Shanxi Province Sunday.

The program was initiated in 1988. Such satellites are mainly used for the monitoring, planning and management of land, forestry, water conservation, environmental protection and agriculture.

The first satellite of the program, CBERS-1, was launched in 1999 with the second and third, CBERS-2 and CBERS-2B, launched in 2003 and 2007.

CBERS-3 was launched last December from Taiyuan but failed to enter orbit after the rocket malfunctioned.

The Chinese and Brazilian space mission authorities also signed a letter of intent for following satellite cooperation Tuesday.

The two nations agreed to build CBERS-4A, which is expected to be launched around 2017.