Scientists from China and Brazil have begun work on prototypes of advanced earth resources satellites, the China Space Science and Technology Group announced Friday.

The overall development plan for satellites 02B, 03 and 04 of Sino-Brazilian Earth Resource Satellites have been approved, said the company, which is the country's leading producer of launch vehicle and satellites.

Sun Laiyan, director general of the China National Space Administration (CNSA), announced last October that China and Brazil would work together to develop and launch the three earth resource satellites in the coming few years.

The satellites will be used to gather information on the Earth's environment, agriculture, urban development planning and water pollution, acknowledged Sun.

Satellite 02B will be similar to the two satellites the two countries developed previously.

China launched the earlier satellites, satellite 01 and 02, into preset orbits in 1999 and 2003 atop Chinese-made Long March 4B rockets.

Satellite 01, which was in orbit for approximately four years, nearly twice as much as its designed life span, has been replaced with Satellite 02.

Space administrations from the two nations Friday agreed to launch an extra satellite, Satellite 02B, in 2006 to replace Satellite O2, which also has a designed life span of two years.

The success of satellites 01 and 02 was lauded by the two countries as a milestone.

Prior to this, the two countries did not have their own transmission-type resources satellites and had to rely on a third country for satellite images of the Earth's environment, agriculture, urban planning and water pollution, Sun said.

China and Brazil set up a trans-departmental organization late last year to coordinate their cooperation in space technology.

The organization, known as the Chinese and Brazilian Space Technology Cooperation Commission, is co-chaired by Chinese minister of the State Commission of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense, and Brazilian minister of Sciences and Technology.

Officials from China's ministries of foreign affairs, finance, commerce, space administration and space technology companies and officials from the Brazilian ministries of foreign affairs, defense, finance and space administration are part of the commission.

(Xinhua News Agency January 24, 2005)