# ZY-3 03
*missions*

## Specifications
- **operator**: cnsa
- **actual launch**: 2020-07-25
- **current status**: operational
- **orbit type**: SSO, 505 km
- **tasking supported**: false
- **entity type**: mission
- **last verified date**: 2026-06-04
- **verified by**: sw
- **claim status**: unclaimed
- **provider**: cnsa
- **attributes**: {"operator":"cnsa","actual_launch":"2020-07-25","current_status":"operational","orbit_type":"SSO, 505 km","tasking_supported":false}

## Editorial
ZY-3 03 (ZiYuan-3 03) is the third satellite in China's ZiYuan-3 civil stereoscopic mapping series, operated by CNSA and manufactured by the China Academy of Space Technology (CAST). It launched on 25 July 2020 from Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center into a sun-synchronous orbit at approximately 505 km altitude.[^gunters-zy3][^oscar-zy3-03]

The satellite carries a stereoscopic camera system and a laser altimeter operating at 1064 nm. A peer-reviewed calibration study describes the ZY-3 03 laser altimeter as a second-generation instrument compared to the ZY-3 02 altimeter, noting improved pointing accuracy;[^sciopen-zy303-calibration] Gunter's Space Page describes the same instrument without distinguishing a generation change.[^gunters-zy3] In both descriptions the instrument type and wavelength are consistent with the ZiYuan-3 series altimetry payload.

The mission supports national topographic mapping, digital elevation model production, and land cover monitoring applications. Operational data management for the ZY-3 series is conducted by the Satellite Surveying and Mapping Application Center (SASMAC) under the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR).

## Compositional position
- ZY-3 03 --[mission_payloads]--> ziyuan-3-laser-altimeter (products)
- ZY-3 03 --[related-topic]--> land-cover-change (topics)
- ZY-3 03 --[related-topic]--> geology (topics)
- ZY-3 03 --[related-topic]--> subsidence (topics)
- ZY-3 03 --[related-topic]--> forest-structure (topics)
- ZY-3 03 --[related-topic]--> sea-level (topics)

## Sources
- [gunters-zy3] | ZY-3 series, Gunter's Space Page | https://space.skyrocket.de/doc_sdat/zy-3.htm | tier=community | accessed=2026-06-04
- [oscar-zy3-03] | WMO OSCAR - ZY-3-03 | https://space.oscar.wmo.int/satellites/view/zy_3_03 | tier=community | accessed=2026-06-04
- [sciopen-zy303-calibration] | Preliminary Pointing Bias Calibration of ZY3-03 Laser Altimeter, Journal of Geodesy and Geoinformation Science 2021 | https://www.sciopen.com/article/10.11947/j.JGGS.2021.0308 | tier=peer-reviewed | accessed=2026-06-04
- [nasaspaceflight-zy303] | Long March 4B lofts Ziyuan-3 satellite, NASASpaceFlight 2020 | https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2020/07/long-march-4b-lofts-ziyuan-3-satellite/ | tier=community | accessed=2026-06-04

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Source: https://eo-atlas.org/missions/zy-3-03
Maintainer: SpectraWorks B.V. (CC-BY 4.0)