The 204 kilograms satellite was sent into space by a Long March carrier rocket in late April, and is still functioning well.

The Experiment Satellite I is China's first small satellite capable of stereo mapping, to transmit its data rather than store it to be collected on return to Earth.

The scientific satellite is mainly used to carry out photographic surveys of China's land resources and changes, and push forward mapping techniques.

(CRI July 18, 2004)