It is a high-resolution imaging satellite operated by the Ministry of Land and Resources of the People's Republic of China.

The Ziyuan 3 satellite was constructed by the China's China Academy of Space Technology (CAST), and carries three cameras produced by the Changchun Institute of Optics, Fine Machinery and Physics.

A camera aligned normal to the Earth's surface will produce images with a spatial resolution of 2.5 metres (8 ft 2 in), whilst the other two, offset at 22° forward and aft, have spatial resolutions of 4.0 metres (13.1 ft).

[3] In addition to the three cameras, Ziyuan-3 carries an infrared multispectral spectrometer, with a spectral resolution of 6.0 metres (19.7 ft).

[1][3] The satellite is used to provide imagery to monitor resources, land use and ecology, and for use in urban planning and disaster management.