Fengyun-1D, the meteorological satellite launched into the orbit early Wednesday, has started to send back cloud maps to earth.

Dong Chaohua, an official from the State Satellite Meteorological Center, told reporters that his center has received the satellite's first map of the clouds.

"The imaging is clear, showing that the instruments installed on Fengyun-1D are working normally as are the communication linkage between the satellite and the earth, and the ground applied systems," said Dong.

According to Dong, the maps were sent back when the meteorological satellite was orbiting earth for the second time and were picked up by the meteorological satellite ground retrieving station based in Urumqi, capital of northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

The maps were processed at the State Satellite Meteorological Center and the clarity of the images met with designed requirements, said Dong, who added that clouds, rivers and lakes on the surface of the earth can be clearly identified on the maps.

(People's Daily May 15, 2002)