News Center
[Jitian Vision] The veins of life in the desert
2025-08-07
Suzhou-1 Satellite (Jitianxing A-03) and Jilin University-1 Satellite (Jitianxing A-01) are the first two satellites to launch as part of the Jilin University Xingzhou constellation, a new generation of optical remote sensing satellites independently developed by Jilin University Xingzhou. Equipped with independently developed optical cameras featuring high time efficiency, high geometry, and high spectral performance, the satellites offer both conventional and in-motion imaging capabilities, with a ground-based panchromatic, multispectral, and hyperspectral resolution of 3 meters and a swath width of 15 kilometers. This time, the Jilin University Xingzhou satellites will focus their cameras on Lake Nasser (also known as Nubian Lake), the most ambitious hydrological project on the Nile River, formed by the diversion of the Aswan High Dam.
Lake of Life in the Desert
In the 1960s, with Soviet technical assistance, the Aswan High Dam dammed the Nile River, creating a world-class artificial lake spanning over 500 kilometers and covering 5,250 square kilometers. Named after Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser, it reaches a maximum depth of 180 meters and holds an annual reservoir of 84 billion cubic meters. Like a blue ribbon embedded in the desert, it serves as a shared lifeline for Egypt and Sudan.
Branched shoreline
Lake Nasser's most striking feature is its densely branched shoreline where it meets the desert, as distinct as the veins of the earth. This geological wonder is a "kinetic sculpture" created by the combined action of three natural mechanisms:
The "fossilized resurrection" of an ancient river channel: The lake's inundated area was originally a network of gullies left by the erosion of the ancient Nile River. When the lake filled, the ancient river channel transformed into a winding bay, and the rising mountain ridges became scattered peninsulas, like a modern interpretation of an ancient hydrological code.
The "natural carving" of lithologic differences: The lakeshore features striking rock types. Soft sandstone retreats rapidly under the erosion of waves, while hard granite rises stubbornly into headlands. Differential erosion, like a natural chisel, carves out a distinctive shoreline contour.
The "dynamic shaping" of water level fluctuations: Influenced by the seasonal flow of the Nile River and dam regulation, the lake's water level fluctuates dramatically from year to year. When the water level drops, secondary gullies are exposed, forming new "branches"; when the water level rises, the flow carves new bays along weak zones, continuously deepening the complexity of this structure.
The symbiosis of humanity and nature
Surrounded by a harsh desert climate, Lake Nasser has nurtured a unique human and ecological environment. In order to avoid being flooded by the lake, the Abu Simbel Temple dedicated to the goddess Hathor was carefully cut and moved to high ground. Today, it has become a tourist attraction together with lakeside fishing activities, where ancient civilization and modern life coexist harmoniously.
This branching lakeshore is both a fossilized imprint of an ancient river network and a dynamic product of the combined effects of hydrological regulation and differential erosion. Like a three-dimensional history book, it reveals the profound interaction between human engineering and natural laws—even the most magnificent hydraulic monuments, their details deeply rooted in the fabric of Earth's evolution over billions of years.
[Jitian Vision] takes you beyond the surface, re-examining Earth from a space perspective, revealing geological wonders co-created by nature and humanity—a unique intersection of technological power and the Earth's natural might.
