Mission

scientific objectives

• Ocean circulation at medium scale;
• Ocean dynamics and sea state monitoring;
• Operational ocean forecast and oceanographic research;
• Climate forecast;
• Research on ocean system, terrestrial system and climate;
• Wind and wave measurements and related researches;
• Marine environment dynamics parameters;
• Marine medium forecast.

mission

HY-2A was decided in 2007, it was launched under CNSA responsibility by a "Long March CZ-4B" launcher on a sun-synchronous orbit at the final altitude of 970 kilometres.

The HY-2A satellite is operated by NSOAS for a nominal lifetime of three years.

HY-2A mission is twofold, the first part with an orbit phased at 14 days and a mean altitude of about 971 km and the second part with an orbit phased at 168 days and a mean altitude of about 973 km.

The first part lasted two years and has an oceanographic vocation; the second part has a geodesic vocation.

First activities:

The launch took place on 15 August 2011 (at 22:57 UT), the instruments thanks to which the precise orbit was determined were switched on one or two days later. The satellite was put on an orbit at 910 km and reached the final orbit of 970 km in 15 days.

CNES, by supplying the first orbits, participates to the HY-2A station acquisition.