From correspondents in Beijing, China, 07:32 PM IST

China will launch two satellites dedicated to radio and TV relay services for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games in June and October this year, the China Satellite Communications Corporation (CSCC) said Tuesday.

Manufacturing of the two satellites is underway under strict quality control to ensure their timely and smooth launch, said Guo Hao, deputy general manager of CSCC.

CSCC has been contracted to provide broadcasting and TV signal transfer and traffic monitoring and navigation services for the 2008 Olympic Games.

China had launched an Olympic weather forecasting satellite, the Fengyun-2D, in December.

China Meteorological Administration announced early this month the Fengyun-2D satellite had successfully connected with the ground control and was operating normally.

Chief designer Li Qin said: 'The satellite will provide accurate and timely information about weather changes to help us with weather forecasts during the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, especially the opening and closing ceremonies and important contests.'

Besides monitoring weather changes in China, the FY-2D will monitor weather changes in neighbouring countries.

(Staff Writer, © IANS)