China to upgrade maritime satellite network

China plans to launch eight satellites providing ocean and land data before 2020, a senior official has said. "The planned satellite launches, including four satellites observing the color of the sea, two observing ocean currents and two maritime radar satellites before 2020, have been approved by the National Development and Reform Commission," Jiang Xingwei, director of the National Satellite Ocean Application Service, told China Daily. The new satellites will greatly improve China's ability to observe and supervise the marine environment, he said. China already has three satellites that monitor its territorial waters and islands, including the Diaoyu Islands and Huangyan Island, but they cannot be used to focus on a fixed location, Jiang said. The launch of the two maritime radar satellites will add that capability.