Fanhui Shi Weixing
Encyclopedia
Fanhui Shi Weixing is a series of Chinese
recoverable reconnaissance satellites. The satellites were used for both military and civilian observation needs, with a total of 26 flights. The first flight was FSW-0 on 1969-06-01 and the last SJ-8 on 2006-09-09.
Four models of the satellites were introduced: FSW-0, FSW-1, FSW-2, and the most modern being FSW-3. All satellites were put in orbit using the Long March rocket
s, most of them by the CZ-2C type.
Successful achievement of landing technology (third in the World after Soviet Union
and United States
) was the basis for the second Chinese manned space programme (period of 1978-1980), third manned programme Project 863 (late 1980s), and current Shenzhou program
me (since 1992).
in Inner-Mongolia. The satellite finished its mission successfully on 29 November 1975 and returned to earth safely, with the landing location in a special zone (Liuzhi Special District; 六枝特区) of Guizhou Province. It was the first Asian atmospheric reentry mission, and China became the third country to recover a satellite after its mission.
There are mainly three generations in history: FSW-0; FSW-1; FSW-2 and the current FSW-3. Until the year 2003, China launched in total 22 of this kind of satellite, for climate, geographical and agricultural purposes.
It was the first generation of China's returnable satellites. The main use was for the inspection of national land and natural resources. Satellites of this generation all carried prism-scan camera
s. It did not have any complete orbit control system, so its decay or attenuation of orbit was fast; it thus had a relatively short orbit duration. Its accuracy for landing or return location was relatively low.
This generation carried much more powerful cameras. The main use of this generation was for drawing geographical maps. Its resolution
was as high as 10m.
The West were suggesting that after dozen of mostly successful launches of FB-1 and CZ-2 rockets and 4 successful annual launches of FSW (last one in January 26, 1978 claimed as dress rehearsal) China made in December, 1978 (or on January 7, 1979 according to another unconfirmed sources) the first attempt of launch of manned version of FSW spacecraft, but due to fail with loss of astronaut this program was closed, and the FSW satellite (redesigned for unmanned goals as subsequent models) only retrieved a flight in 1982.
Chinese space program
The space program of the People's Republic of China is directed by the China National Space Administration . Its technological roots can be traced back to the late 1950s, when the People's Republic began a rudimentary ballistic missile program in response to perceived American threats...
recoverable reconnaissance satellites. The satellites were used for both military and civilian observation needs, with a total of 26 flights. The first flight was FSW-0 on 1969-06-01 and the last SJ-8 on 2006-09-09.
Four models of the satellites were introduced: FSW-0, FSW-1, FSW-2, and the most modern being FSW-3. All satellites were put in orbit using the Long March rocket
Long March rocket
A Long March rocket or Chang Zheng rocket as in Chinese pinyin is any rocket in a family of expendable launch systems operated by the People's Republic of China. Development and design falls under the auspices of the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology...
s, most of them by the CZ-2C type.
Successful achievement of landing technology (third in the World after Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
and United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
) was the basis for the second Chinese manned space programme (period of 1978-1980), third manned programme Project 863 (late 1980s), and current Shenzhou program
Shenzhou program
The Shenzhou program is a manned spaceflight initiative by the People's Republic of China. The program put the first Chinese citizen, Yang Liwei, into orbit on 15 October 2003....
me (since 1992).
History
China started developing this kind of satellite in the early 1970s. On 26 November 1975, China launched the first FSW satellite from JiuquanJiuquan Satellite Launch Center
Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center is a People's Republic of China space vehicle launch facility .The facility is part of Dongfeng Aerospace City , and is located in the Gobi desert, Ejin Banner , Alxa League , Inner Mongolia, situated about 1,600 km from Beijing.- History :It was founded in 1958,...
in Inner-Mongolia. The satellite finished its mission successfully on 29 November 1975 and returned to earth safely, with the landing location in a special zone (Liuzhi Special District; 六枝特区) of Guizhou Province. It was the first Asian atmospheric reentry mission, and China became the third country to recover a satellite after its mission.
There are mainly three generations in history: FSW-0; FSW-1; FSW-2 and the current FSW-3. Until the year 2003, China launched in total 22 of this kind of satellite, for climate, geographical and agricultural purposes.
Variants
- FSW-0
It was the first generation of China's returnable satellites. The main use was for the inspection of national land and natural resources. Satellites of this generation all carried prism-scan camera
Camera
A camera is a device that records and stores images. These images may be still photographs or moving images such as videos or movies. The term camera comes from the camera obscura , an early mechanism for projecting images...
s. It did not have any complete orbit control system, so its decay or attenuation of orbit was fast; it thus had a relatively short orbit duration. Its accuracy for landing or return location was relatively low.
- FSW-1
This generation carried much more powerful cameras. The main use of this generation was for drawing geographical maps. Its resolution
Image resolution
Image resolution is an umbrella term that describes the detail an image holds. The term applies to raster digital images, film images, and other types of images. Higher resolution means more image detail....
was as high as 10m.
- FSW-2
- FSW-3
| FSW-0 | FSW-1 | FSW-2 | FSW-3 | |
| Satellite Mass (km) | 1800 | 2100 | 2800~3100 | |
| Satellite Volume (m3) | 7.6 | 7.6 | 12.8 | |
| Return Load (kg) | 260 | 260 | 400 | |
| Launch Load (kg) | 340 | 450 | 500~600 | |
| Mission Duration (day) | 3~5 | 8 | 15~17 | |
| Microgravity Gradient (g) | 10−3~10−5 | 10−3~10−5 | 10−3~10−5 | |
| Orbital Inclination (°) | 57~68 | 57~70 | 57~70 | |
| Periapsis (km) | 172~180 | 200~210 | 175~200 | |
| Apoapsis (km) | 400~500 | 300~400 | 300~400 | |
| Orbit Period (min) | ~90 | ~90 | ~90 | |
| Launch Rocket Type | Long March C | Long March C | Long March D | Long March C or D |
Manned flights
Due to lack of information both about origins of FSW and about second manned space programme (that was announced few times in 1978 with the open publishing of some details including photos, but then was abruptly cancelled in 1980), first model FSW-0, probably, was designed initially for manned use as spacecraft instead of first manned programmme Shuguang aborted in early 70s.The West were suggesting that after dozen of mostly successful launches of FB-1 and CZ-2 rockets and 4 successful annual launches of FSW (last one in January 26, 1978 claimed as dress rehearsal) China made in December, 1978 (or on January 7, 1979 according to another unconfirmed sources) the first attempt of launch of manned version of FSW spacecraft, but due to fail with loss of astronaut this program was closed, and the FSW satellite (redesigned for unmanned goals as subsequent models) only retrieved a flight in 1982.
Launches
| Name | Launch Date (y/m/d) | Return Date (y/m/d) | Launch Load (kg) | Return Load (kg) | Apsis (km) | Apogee (km) | Period (min) | Angle(°) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FSW-0-1 | 1974/11/5 | failed | 1790 | |||||
| FSW-0-2 | 1975/11/26 | 1975/11/29 | 1790 | 600 | 181 | 495 | 91.2 | 63.0 |
| FSW-0-3 | 1976/12/7 | 1976/12/10 | 1790 | 600 | 172 | 492 | 91.2 | 59.5 |
| FSW-0-4 | 1978/1/26 | 1978/1/29 | 1810 | 650 | 169 | 488 | 91.2 | 57.0 |
| FSW-0-5 | 1982/9/9 | 1982/9/14 | 1780 | 610 | 177 | 407 | 90.2 | 63.0 |
| FSW-0-6 | 1983/8/19 | 1983/8/24 | 1840 | 630 | 175 | 404 | 90.2 | 63.3 |
| FSW-0-7 | 1984/9/12 | 1984/9/17 | 1810 | 620 | 178 | 415 | 90.3 | 68.0 |
| FSW-0-8 | 1985/10/21 | 1985/10/26 | 1810 | 620 | 175 | 409 | 90.2 | 63.0 |
| FSW-0-9 | 1986/10/6 | 1986/10/11 | 1770 | 610 | 176 | 402 | 90.2 | 57.0 |
| FSW-0-10 | 1987/8/5 | 1987/8/10 | 1810 | 650 | 172 | 410 | 90.2 | 63.0 |
| FSW-1-1 | 1987/9/9 | 1987/9/17 | 2070 | 610 | 208 | 323 | 89.7 | 63.0 |
| FSW-1-2 | 1988/8/5 | 1988/8/13 | 2130 | 640 | 208 | 326 | 89.7 | 62.8 |
| FSW-1-3 | 1990/10/5 | 1990/10/13 | 2080 | 650 | 206 | 308 | 89.6 | 57.1 |
| FSW-2-1 | 1992/8/9 | 1992/8/25 | 2590 | 640 | 175 | 353 | 89.1 | 63.1 |
| FSW-1-4 | 1992/10/6 | 1992/10/13 | 2060 | 600 | 211 | 315 | 89.8 | 63.0 |
| FSW-1-5 | 1993/10/8 | return failed | 2100 | (650) | 214 | 317 | 89.6 | 56.9 |
| FSW-2-2 | 1994/7/3 | 1994/7/18 | 2760 | 770 | 178 | 333 | 89.5 | 62.9 |
| FSW-2-3 | 1996/10/20 | 1996/11/4 | 2970 | 770 | 176 | 354 | 89.7 | 63.0 |
| FSW-3-1 | 2003/11/3 | 2003/11/21 | ||||||
| FSW-3-2 | 2004/8/29 | 2004/9/25 | ||||||
| FSW-3-3 | 2004/9/27 | 2004/10/15 | ||||||
| FSW-3-4 | 2005/8/2 | 2005/8/29 | ||||||
| FSW-3-5 | 2005/8/29 | 2005/10/17 | ||||||
| SJ-8 | 2006/9/9 | 2006/9/24 | 3000 | 173 | 336 | 89.60 | 63.0 |