As China is poised to send the Shenzhou-19 manned spacecraft into space, meteorological workers at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center are intensifying their monitoring and forecasting efforts to ensure the safety of the launch mission.
As an important tool for high-altitude weather observation, sounding balloons are primarily used to collect atmospheric data such as temperature, humidity, air pressure, and wind speed at various altitudes. Such balloons are launched daily at the Qiuquan's monitoring stations, and the routine releases will be raised to three or four times daily in the run-up to the Shenzhou-19 mission.
Surrounding the launch center, over 30 meteorological observation points gather data from automated ground weather stations, sounding balloon readings, and remote sensing forecasts. All these are put together at the central weather watch office and form a comprehensive meteorological information network.
Advanced monitoring techniques and numerical prediction models have also been applied to enhance the accuracy. On top of that, forecasters must possess a deep understanding of the launch site weather patterns. "After we entered autumn, weather at the launch site has been somewhat unusual. The number of rainy days in September has tied historical highs, and since mid-October, temperatures have been well above average. Currently, cold air is accumulating in Siberia, while typhoons are active along the southeast coast. We are closely monitoring these major weather systems," said Ren Fengjie, a staff member at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center.
To avoid the impacts of adverse weather on the coming launch mission, meteorological staff began preparations a month in advance, conducting equipment checks and performing specialized analyses on historical wind and dust weather patterns typical for October and November over the past decade. This provides timely and accurate meteorological forecasts for the mission command team to make informed decisions.
"Through our accumulation of meteorological information and analysis of various numerical prediction products, along with multiple rounds of consultations, we believe the weather for the launch window is favorable and meets the minimum meteorological requirements for the mission," said Ren.
China's second manned space crew of the year is expected to head into space in the next few days. The Shenzhou-19 mission will lift off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Gansu Province. On Tuesday, both the spacecraft and a Long March-2F carrier rocket were transported to the launch pad.
Jiuquan launch center intensifies meteorological monitoring for upcoming Shenzhou-19 mission
Jiuquan launch center intensifies meteorological monitoring for upcoming Shenzhou-19 mission
