The first university originated ocean remote sensing small satellite in China, HISEA-1, was launched into the sun-synchronous orbits by a medium-lift rocket, the new “Long-March 8 Rocket”, from the coastal Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site at 12:37 a.m. China Standard Time, Dec. 22, 2020.

HISEA-1 is the first small satellite equipped with C-band miniature synthetic aperture radar (SAR) in the world, developed jointly by Xiamen University (XMU)’s Joint Center for Remote Sensing, Spacety Co. Ltd, and China Electronics Technology Group (CETG). Compact in design, the weight of HISEA-1 is only about 180 kilograms. As a microwave sensor, SAR can provide all-weathers (i.e., can penetrate cloud and rain), day and night, high-resolution observations. As the satellite moves, SAR can transmit and receive microwave signals at different locations. The echoes can be collected and digitally “synthesized” into high-resolution remote sensing images. This miniature SAR has a highest spatial resolution of 1 meter and a maximum swath width of 100 kilometers.

Climate variability and change are posing new challenges to coastal communities in managing ecosystems, agriculture, aquaculture, and infrastructure to ensure sustainability. As an ocean remote sensing satellite, HISEA-1 provides several ocean dynamic parameters, serving for the research of global climate change and its impacts to coastal community and stakeholders. The satellite not only surveys the ocean, land, and the climate, but also serves the coastal community by monitoring climate change induced extreme events, such as tropical storms, coastal flood inundation, and land subsidence.

To date, XMU has already built a land-based, sea-based, underwater, and space-based multi-dimensional ocean observation system that extends and integrates the observations from underwater and from the ground to the space. The operation of these large-scale facilities will further enhance the XMU's observation and research capabilities, and further promote the development of programs in marine science, environment and ecology at XMU. In order to further improve observation capabilities, promote technological innovation with additional domestic and international collaborations, and enhance community service, XMU is creating a HISEA constellation and building a new Research Institute jointly with multiple entities for big data technology and marine application. The launch of the XMU’s HISEA-1 small satellite will further assist research on coastal and climate change with society’s needs through early stakeholder engagement, community outreach and education, ultimately leading to informed decision making, mitigation of coastal climate change impacts, building more resilient communities, and protecting lives and livelihoods in the coastal areas.