From the viewpoint of earth system science, this paper discusses the observation capability of the second-genera-tion of Chinese polar-orbiting, sun-synchronous operational meteorological satellite observation systems, Fengyun-3 (FY-3), based on the function and performance test results from the FY-3D satellite observation system in orbit. The FY-3 series of satellites have numerous remote sensing instruments and a wide range of imaging and sounding elec-tromagnetic spectrometers onboard. These instruments can obtain reflectivity data for land surface, soil, vegetation, water body, snow cover, ocean color, and sea ice on earth's surface over a wide spectral range, as well as informa-tion on the absorption and scattering radiative transfer of molecules and particles (clouds and aerosols) in earth's at-mosphere. All of these data can be used to retrieve physical and chemical information about the land, ocean, and at-mosphere of the earth system. Comprehensive observation of the earth system by the FY-3 meteorological satellites is preliminarily realized.