# FY-4A
*missions*

## Specifications
- **operator**: cma
- **actual launch**: 2016-12-11
- **current status**: operational
- **orbit type**: Geostationary orbit, 123.5 E, 35786 km; relocated after 18 February 2025 for full-disc coverage
- **revisit days**: 0.0104
- **tasking supported**: false
- **current geographic priority**: Full-disc geostationary meteorological coverage from 123.5 E, with historical service at 105 E and 86.5 E
- **launch vehicle**: casc-long-march-3b
- **entity type**: mission
- **last verified date**: 2026-06-14
- **verified by**: agency-doc
- **claim status**: agency-sourced
- **provider**: cma
- **attributes**: {"operator":"cma","actual_launch":"2016-12-11","current_status":"operational","orbit_type":"Geostationary orbit, 123.5 E, 35786 km; relocated after 18 February 2025 for full-disc coverage","revisit_days":0.0104,"tasking_supported":false,"current_geographic_priority":"Full-disc geostationary meteorological coverage from 123.5 E, with historical service at 105 E and 86.5 E","launch_vehicle":"casc-long-march-3b"}
- **relevance**: in-scope

## Editorial
FY-4A (Fengyun-4A) is China's first third-generation geostationary meteorological satellite and the initial flight unit of the FY-4 series, operated by the China Meteorological Administration. The satellite launched in December 2016 and is currently stationed at 123.5 degrees East following a relocation in February 2025, with prior operational positions at 105 degrees East and 86.5 degrees East.[^nsmc-fy4a][^wmo-fy-4a]

The Earth-observation sensor stack includes three instruments. The Advanced Geostationary Radiation Imager (AGRI) is a multi-channel visible and infrared imager supporting atmospheric motion vectors, sea surface temperature, precipitation estimates, and thermal anomaly detection.[^wmo-agri] The Geostationary Interferometric Infrared Sounder (GIIRS) provides atmospheric temperature and humidity profiles and tropospheric trace-gas column measurements.[^wmo-giirs] The Lightning Mapping Imager (LMI) detects optical transients associated with lightning activity across the full disc.[^wmo-lmi]

Ancillary payloads include the SEP/HEPS space-environment particle monitor and a data collection system (DCS). WMO OSCAR records the mission as operational as of April 2026.

## Compositional position
- FY-4A --[mission_payloads]--> agri (products)
- FY-4A --[mission_payloads]--> giirs (products)
- FY-4A --[mission_payloads]--> lmi (products)
- FY-4A --[mission_payloads]--> sep-fy-4a (products)
- FY-4A --[mission_payloads]--> dcs-fy-4a (products)
- FY-4A --[related-topic]--> weather-nowcasting (topics)
- FY-4A --[related-topic]--> atmospheric-wind (topics)
- FY-4A --[related-topic]--> atmospheric-profiling (topics)
- FY-4A --[related-topic]--> precipitation (topics)
- FY-4A --[related-topic]--> sea-surface-temperature (topics)
- FY-4A --[related-topic]--> air-quality (topics)
- FY-4A --[related-topic]--> wildfire (topics)

## Sources
- [wmo-fy-4a] | WMO OSCAR satellite record: FY-4A | https://space.oscar.wmo.int/satellites/view/fy_4a | tier=agency-doc | accessed=2026-06-14
- [nsmc-fy4a] | NSMC FY-4A satellite page | https://www.nsmc.org.cn/nsmc/en/theme/FY4A.html | tier=agency-doc | accessed=2026-06-14
- [nsmc-fy4a-instruments] | NSMC FY-4A instruments page | https://www.nsmc.org.cn/nsmc/en/theme/FY4A_instrument.html | tier=agency-doc | accessed=2026-06-14
- [wmo-agri] | WMO OSCAR instrument record: Advanced Geostationary Radiation Imager | https://space.oscar.wmo.int/instruments/view/agri | tier=agency-doc | accessed=2026-06-14
- [wmo-giirs] | WMO OSCAR instrument record: GIIRS | https://space.oscar.wmo.int/instruments/view/giirs | tier=agency-doc | accessed=2026-06-14
- [wmo-lmi] | WMO OSCAR instrument record: Lightning Mapping Imager | https://space.oscar.wmo.int/instruments/view/lmi | tier=agency-doc | accessed=2026-06-14
- [wmo-sep-heps] | WMO OSCAR instrument record: SEP/HEPS | https://space.oscar.wmo.int/instruments/view/sep_heps | tier=agency-doc | accessed=2026-06-14
- [wmo-dcs-fy] | WMO OSCAR instrument record: Data Collection Service (FY) | https://space.oscar.wmo.int/instruments/view/dcs_fy | tier=agency-doc | accessed=2026-06-14

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Source: https://eo-atlas.org/missions/fy-4a
Maintainer: SpectraWorks B.V. (CC-BY 4.0)