China, Central Asian countries to build joint satellite constellation for disaster monitoring

URUMQI, June 27 — China and several Central Asian countries are planning to develop a satellite constellation to share remote-sensing data and tackle common threats, such as earthquakes, agricultural pests and glacial floods.

The tech cooperation agreement was signed on Thursday at the ongoing 9th China-Eurasia Expo held in Urumqi, capital of northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. Called “Tianwu Constellation,” the space-based monitoring network will comprise an initial system of five satellites, according to scientists involved in the project.

Tong Qingxi, a remote-sensing specialist with the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said that China’s Xinjiang, bordering several Central Asian countries, has similar geographic conditions and common geological threats to its neighbors, such as earthquakes, landslides, and floods caused by glacial melt. The joint constellation is designed to address shared disaster-prevention needs.