The Centre national d’études spatiales (CNES) of France and the China National Space Administration (CNSA) have partnered to develop a China-France oceanography satellite (CFOSAT).

CFOSAT is designed to study ocean surface wind and wave conditions to improve forecasts for marine meteorology and knowledge of climate variations.

Scheduled to be launched into orbit by June 2018, the satellite will have two wave and wind measuring instruments, surface waves investigation and monitoring (SWIM) and SCAT.

"CFOSAT is designed to study ocean surface wind and wave conditions to improve forecasts for marine meteorology and knowledge of climate variations."

CFOSAT is planned to be launched aboard a Long March 2C rocket this year, and is designed to operate for three years.

The agreement is part of CNES and CNSA efforts to accelerate the CFOSAT mission.

CNES president Jean-Yves Le Gall said: "This new agreement illustrates our joint commitment to pursuing closer cooperative ties in space, through which, I am delighted to say, we will benefit from the world-renowned scientific expertise of our Chinese partners.

"The accord will give new momentum to CFOSAT, which is set to make a key contribution to efforts to gain deeper insight into the processes driving climate change that will be the focus of the COP21 global climate summit in Paris next December."

The partnership builds on a previous deal signed in March 2014 for cooperation between France and China in oceanography and astrophysics.