Sino-British satellite project underway

A Sino-British team of scientists is working to build a meteorological satellite in a project that Chinese officials hope will serve as the basis for further international cooperation in space, state media reported. The satellite, scheduled for launch in May, is being developed jointly by Chinese scientists and UK-based Surrey Satellite Technology Limited (SSTL), a company set up by the University of Surrey to commercialize small, low-cost space technology. An official from Beijing's Ministry of Science and Technology said the satellite will providen higher resolution inmages than previous meteorological satellites and be used to study climate change and water resource usage.