China's geostationary meteorological satellite program FY-2 (Feng Yun 2) began its development in 1980. It is built by the Shanghai Institute of Satellite Engineering.
FY-2 is a spin-stabilized spacecraft with a speed of 100 rotation/min. The satellite bus diameter is 2.1 m, and the total height on-station is about 4.5 m.
FY-2 satellite data is open for international users. User stations covered by FY-2A can receive S-VISSR high resolution digital data and WEFAX low resolution analogue data from FY-2A.
In 1994 the first FY 2 spacecraft was to be launched and was fueled and undergoing final check-out on 2 April 1994 before being mated to its CZ-3 launch vehicle when a fire and explosion erupted, destroying the vehicle, killing one worker, and injuring 20 or more others.
The Chinese Meteorological Administration (CMA) launched the replacement FY-2A to 105° East longitude on 10 June 1997 on a CZ-3 booster from Xichang, and the satellite entered operational service late in 1997. On 8 April 1998, FY-2A ceased transmission of images due to a problem with the S-band communication antenna.
FY-2B was launched on a CZ-3 in 25 June 2000. FY-2C as the first operational model was launched on a CZ-3A
on 19 October 2004. FY-2D, FY-2E, FY-2F and FY-2G followed in 2006, 2008, 2012 and 2014 respectively. The final satellite in this series, FY-2H, was launched in June 2018.
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