A satellite sent into orbit from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the Gobi Desert on Friday is expected to help provide early warning of potential geological hazards in China.

The satellite, Dianjian-1, is a 300-kilogram-class small radar remote sensing satellite. Equipped with an X-band Synthetic Aperture Radar payload, it operates in a sun-synchronous orbit at an altitude of approximately 500 kilometers with a designed service life of five years.

Compared with optical remote sensing, SAR satellites are less affected by cloud, rainfall and lighting conditions, enabling constant all-weather Earth observation. They are suitable for continuous monitoring of complex terrain and landform areas such as alpine valleys, reservoir bank slopes and major engineering construction sites.