Over the past 20 years

the Chinese Fengyun meteorological satellite has progressed from the experimental phase to the operational phase

from the first generation to the second generation

from providing single observation to providing comprehensive observations

and from qualitative application to quantitative application. The Fengyun meteorological satellite has also realized the objects of operation

serialization

and quantification. Great progress has been made in data preprocessing

product generation

and data application. In the field of geolocation

the development and continuous optimization of independent geolocation algorithms have improved the geolocation accuracy of operational satellite data from 2—3 pixels to 1 pixel. In the field of radiometric calibration

the inner blackbody calibration algorithm corrected by lunar emission

the deep convective cloud calibration algorithm

the lunar calibration algorithm

and the cross calibration algorithm have been developed. On the basis of such algorithms

a comprehensive calibration system has been established to improve the calibration accuracy of solar reflective bands to 5% and thermal infrared bands to 0.5K. In the field of product generation

the Fengyun Product Generation System（PGS）and its corresponding quality control system have been established. The PGS system can output dozens of quantitative products of the atmosphere

land

ocean

and space weather. The quality of several products reaches or approaches those at the international level. Fengyun satellite data have been widely used in weather monitoring

climate analysis

ecology and environmental surveys

etc. After strict quality control and evaluation

Fengyun satellite data have been operationally assimilated into ECMWF’s operational NWP model

thus indicating that the application of Fengyun satellites has reached a new level. The meteorological satellite observation system established in China shows continuous improvement in terms of observation accuracy and service capability. However

the system cannot fully satisfy the requirements of different applications. In the future

the following aspects should be considered for the development of Fengyun satellites. First

a reasonable observation system should be established. Second

data and product quality should be improved. Third

sounding ability should be strengthened. Forth

future meteorological satellites should enhance emergency response capability. Fifth

the continuity and stability of observation should be enhanced to satisfy the requirements of climate change research. Finally

the comprehensive application capability should be enhanced to make meteorological satellites more useful.