Gaofen-7 (GF-7)

Gaofen-7 (GF-7) is a Chinese civil high-resolution stereo mapping satellite operated under the Gaofen series (Gaofen-1 through 7) of the Chinese High-resolution Earth Observation System (CHEOS). It was launched on 3 November 2019 from Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center and declared operational by CNSA in late 2020.^[1]

The satellite flies in a sun-synchronous orbit at an operational altitude of approximately 505 km.^[2][3] At orbital insertion, tracking recorded an initial orbit of 489 x 528 km that subsequently circularised to the station-keeping altitude.^[3]

GF-7 carries a sub-metre stereo camera system and a laser altimeter instrument operating at 1064 nm.^[4] The laser altimeter is described in peer-reviewed literature as enabling ground elevation measurements at centimetre-level accuracy for 1:10,000-scale mapping.^[5] The combined payload supports national topographic mapping, digital elevation model production, and land cover surveys.

The programme is funded through CNSA. The satellite was launched after the March 2018 abolition of the National Administration of Surveying, Mapping and Geoinformation (NASMG), which was merged into the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR).^[1][2] Operational data management is conducted by the Satellite Surveying and Mapping Application Center (SASMAC) under MNR.