# GF-7 Laser Altimeter
*sensor . products*

Two-beam 1064 nm laser altimeter on Gaofen-7 (GF-7), a Chinese stereo mapping satellite launched 2019-11-03. Provides ground elevation profiles for large-scale topographic mapping.

## Specifications
- **product status**: operational
- **deployment context**: orbital
- **manufacturer**: cast
- **sensor**: {"instrument_family":"lidar","measurement_principle":"active","wavelength_nm":1064,"beam_count":2,"return_type":"full-waveform","notes":"Two-beam 1064 nm laser altimeter; ground elevation profiles used in conjunction with GF-7 stereo optical imagery for 1:10000-scale topographic mapping. Operated by CNSA/CRESDA."}
- **entity type**: sensor
- **last verified date**: 2026-06-04
- **verified by**: agency-doc
- **claim status**: unclaimed
- **provider**: cast
- **attributes**: {"kind":"sensor","product_status":"operational","deployment_context":"orbital","manufacturer":"cast","description":"Two-beam 1064 nm laser altimeter on Gaofen-7 (GF-7), a Chinese stereo mapping satellite launched 2019-11-03. Provides ground elevation profiles for large-scale topographic mapping.","sensor":"{\"instrument_family\":\"lidar\",\"measurement_principle\":\"active\",\"wavelength_nm\":1064,\"beam_count\":2,\"return_type\":\"full-waveform\",\"notes\":\"Two-beam 1064 nm laser altimeter; ground elevation profiles used in conjunction with GF-7 stereo optical imagery for 1:10000-scale topographic mapping. Operated by CNSA/CRESDA.\"}"}
- **technology**: lidar

## Editorial
The GF-7 laser altimeter is a two-beam spaceborne laser altimeter carried on Gaofen-7 (GF-7), a Chinese high-resolution stereo mapping satellite launched on 2019-11-03. Manufactured by the China Academy of Space Technology (CAST) and operated by CNSA and CRESDA, the instrument operates at 1064 nm and records full-waveform returns from each pulse.[^tang-2020-gf7-overview][^li-2020-gf7-design-ieee]

The altimeter emits two beams simultaneously, providing ground elevation profiles that are used in conjunction with GF-7's stereo optical imagery for 1:10000-scale topographic mapping of China. Per-beam pulse energy is approximately 85.7 mJ for beam 1 and approximately 93.7-93.9 mJ for beam 2.[^tang-2020-gf7-overview] The satellite operates at an orbital altitude of approximately 505 km. The footprint diameter at nadir is 17.5 m based on a 35 urad beam divergence at 505 km altitude; a rounded design specification of less than 30 m also applies to the same instrument.[^tang-2020-gf7-overview] On-orbit full-waveform data quality has been assessed following commissioning.[^li-2020-gf7-waveform-isprs] The instrument incorporates a footprint camera system for precise laser spot geolocation.[^xie-2021-gf7-footprint-cam]

GF-7 was declared operational by CNSA in late 2020 following an in-orbit commissioning period.[^cnsa-gf7-service]

## Compositional position
- gaofen-7 (missions) --[mission_payloads]--> GF-7 Laser Altimeter

## Sources
- [tang-2020-gf7-overview] | Overview of the GF-7 Laser Altimeter System Mission, Earth and Space Science 2020 | https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1029/2019EA000777 | tier=peer-reviewed | accessed=2026-06-04
- [li-2020-gf7-design-ieee] | Design and Data Processing of China's First Spaceborne Laser Altimeter System for Earth Observation: GaoFen-7, IEEE JSTARS 2020 | https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/9028128/ | tier=peer-reviewed | accessed=2026-06-04
- [li-2020-gf7-waveform-isprs] | Preliminary Quality Analysis of GF-7 Satellite Laser Altimeter Full Waveform Data, ISPRS 2020 | https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2020ISPAr43B1..129L/abstract | tier=peer-reviewed | accessed=2026-06-04
- [xie-2021-gf7-footprint-cam] | Laser Spot Center Location Method for Chinese Spaceborne GF-7 Footprint Camera, Sensors 2020 | https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7219664/ | tier=peer-reviewed | accessed=2026-06-04
- [cnsa-gf7-service] | China's Gaofen-7 satellite put into service, CNSA English | https://www.cnsa.gov.cn/english/n6465652/n6465653/c6810021/content.html | tier=agency-doc | accessed=2026-06-04

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Source: https://eo-atlas.org/products/sensor/gf-7-laser-altimeter
Maintainer: SpectraWorks B.V. (CC-BY 4.0)