Recoverable Satellites (FSW) Programme

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Last updated: 14 December 2007

The Chinese FSW recoverable imagery reconnaissance satellite programme went quiet in the late 1990s due to higher priority given to the manned space flight programme.

China resumed its launch of the ‘recoverable experimental satellite’ (Fanhuishi Shiyan Weixing, FSW) in November 2003, almost seven years after the last launch of the JianBing-1B (FSW-2) in 1996. The second-generation FSW satellites include three variants sharing the same satellite bus design: FSW-3 (military codename: JianBing-2), FSW-4 (military codename: JianBing-4), and a civilian scientific satellite ShiJian-8 (“Seed Satellite”).

The FSW-3 programme began in 1999, with the design completed in March 2002. The No.1 satellite was completed and tested in September 2002. Tow weeks after the launch of China’s first manned spaceflight mission ShenZhou-5, the FSW-3 No.01 (JianBing-2 No.1, also the 18th satellite of the whole FSW programme) was launched by a CZ-2D launch vehicle from the newly built launch pad at Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre on 2 November 2003. Described by Chinese official media as being technically much more advanced than the previous FSW satellites in terms of performance and capabilities, the FSW-03 No.01 returned to Earth and landed in Sichuan Province, southwest China, at 10:04 AM (Beijing time) on 21 November 2003.

The FSW-3 No.02 was completed in July 2004 and the satellite was launched by a CZ-2D from Jiuquan on 27 September 2004. The re-entry capsule returned to Earth 17 days after the launch, but apparently missed the targeted recovery zone and landed into a residential area in Daying County, Sichuan Province. The last satellite FSW-3 No.03 was completed in June 2005. It was launched and recovered from August to September 2005.

The FSW-4 development began in parallel to the FSW-3 project  in 2000. The No.01 satellite was completed in July 2004. It was launched from Jiuquan by a CZ-2C launch vehicle on 29 August 2004, only 29 days before the FSW-3 No.02 launch in September.

The FSW-4 No.02 was completed in June 2005 and launched on 2 August, shortly before the launch of the FSW-3 No.03.

The ShiJian 8 (also known as ‘Seed Satellite’) was based on the FSW-3 satellite bus, but with a mission payload designed for biological scientific research purposes. The satellite development began in May 2003. The re-entry capsule floating test and satellite electric ground testing was completed in November 2005. The satellite was completed in July 2006 and the flight mission and recovery was carried out in September.

Design

FSW-3/4 Launch: FSW-3 launched by a CZ-2D launch vehicle (left), and FSW-4 launched by a CZ-2C (right) (Source: Chinese Internet)

The FSW-3 was described as a “high-precision photographic mapping satellite”, equipped with a film camera with a higher resolution (10~15m), and a CCD camera with a lower resolution (~50m). The films were developed on Earth after it was retrieved from the landed re-entry capsule, while the CCD camera could transmit its images to the ground in a near-real-time manner. This combination enables the satellite to use the lower-resolution CCD camera for wide-range scanning, and then use the higher-resolution film camera to only capture areas of interest, thus avoiding the waste of film resulted by bad weather.

The FSW-4, with a slightly heavier weight and longer in-orbit time, was described as a “detailed land-surveying remote-sensing satellite”, possibly equipped with a CCD camera and an IR scanner.

The ShiJian-8 satellite was based on FSW-3, but with its imagery reconnaissance equipments removed and replaced by seed and other scientific research equipments.

Both satellites share the same satellite platform design developed from the FSW-2. Like the previous FSW satellites, the FSW-3/4 also has a blunt conical shape re-entry capsule and a cylinder shape retrofire and equipment module. The FSW-3/4 retains the re-entry capsule and retrofire module of the FSW-2, but features a larger equipment module for increased payload and battery capacity. The battery-powered satellite is three-axis stabilised and controlled by Xi’an Satellite Control Centre.

According to Chinese media reports, the satellite features improved imagery mission equipment, as well as “more sophisticated re-entry lift techniques to improve landing precision and to lessen deceleration forces”. The programme also established a pattern of two consecutive launches within a short period of time (less than a month).

Specifications

Weight: 3,600kg (FSW-3); 3,900kg (FSW-4); 3,400kg (SJ-8)
Length: 5,144mm
Diameter: 2,200mm
Typical Mission Duration: 18 days (FSW-3); 27 days (FSW-4); 15 days (SJ-8)
Launch Vehicle: CZ-2D (FSW-3); CZ-2C (FSW-4 and SJ-8)