[7][8] The reported applications of these smart video satellites range from disaster response and economic monitoring to military and national intelligence collection.

[5][7][8] These satellites use a gaze imaging pattern, use three-axis stabilization, record full-color video between 437–720 nanometers (using a Bayer filter), weigh between 225–235 kilograms, and are 1230x642x2104 millimeters in size.

[5][6][9] Satellites of the second generation of Jilin-1 smart video constellation feature updates to orbital propulsion, computer, power supply, and data transmission systems, based on feedback from first-generation users.

[6] Jilin-1 video satellites have been used for supervising the 2013–2017 construction of Saparmurat Turkmenbashy Olympic Stadium in Turkmenistan,[10] recording taxiing aircraft at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport,[11] monitoring forest fire spread along the Sino-Russian border,[12] and recording the launch of a OneSpace suborbital rocket.

Onboard payloads of Spectrum satellites image light from a wavelength of 450 nanometers (visible blue) to 135 micrometers (long-wave infrared) across 26 separate bands.

[19] Spectrum 02, also known as 'Wenchang Supercomputer 1' (Chinese: 文昌超算一号; pinyin: Wénchāng chāo suàn yī hào) was jointly invested and developed with the Wenchang Aerospace Supercomputing Center, part of the Wenchang International Aerospace City in Hainan Province and is primarily focused on marine ecological monitoring with additional functions in ocean search and rescue and undersea resource exploration.