Professor Xu Jianmin, a pioneer of China’s Fengyun (“Wind and Cloud”) meteorological satellite programme of China, received the International Meteorological Organization (IMO) Prize, the organisation’s highest distinction.
Xu was honoured for his central role in developing a satellite system that supports weather forecasting, climate monitoring and disaster response around the world.
In his lecture to the Executive Council, Xu traced the programme’s evolution from Fengyun-1A, China’s first domestically developed polar-orbiting meteorological satellite launched in the 1980s, to a satellite service that now benefits more than 130 countries and territories, supporting extreme weather monitoring and disaster risk reduction.
In turn, Xu announced the donation of his prize to CMA’s Multi-hazard Alert, Zero-gap and Universal (MAZU) Prize.
The newly established award will recognize meteorological scholars and professionals whose work advances international cooperation and strengthens early warning capacity.
Picture: Supplied