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Opportunities remain in the EO market for manufacture and data export; short-term growth for commercial data driven by defense, enterprise markets also faster emerging.

PARIS, MONTREAL, WASHINGTON D.C., OCTOBER 9, 2014 – According to Euroconsult’s newly published report, Satellite-Based Earth Observation: Market Prospects to 2023, 353 Earth observation (EO) satellites are expected to be launched over the next decade compared to 162 over 2004-2013. This will result in $36 billion in manufacturing revenues over the period, an 85% increase over the previous decade. Organizations from 41 countries are expected to launch EO satellite capacity by 2023, compared to 33 over the previous decade. Government supply continues to grow strongly as more countries expand their portfolios of EO satellites to meet various policy needs. In addition, newcomers are launching EO satellite capacity to develop a local industrial base, create the building blocks for a space program, obtain greater autonomy in data acquisition, and/or meet local demand for data and services. As a result, investment in EO and meteorology programs reached a high in 2013 at $8.7 billion, a 13% increase over 2012. This represents the 8th year of continued investment growth, with EO remaining a primary concern for government space expenditures.

Commercial supply is also expected to go through a significant expansion, both from private sector initiatives (the expansion of fleets, and new entrants) and government commercialization of proprietary systems. New entrants such as Skybox Imaging have launched their first satellites, and others, particularly in the domain of commercial meteorology and environment monitoring solutions, could follow suit in the next decade. “With this expansion in commercial supply, differentiating positions of the operators will come to the fore, with trade-offs in ground resolution, revisit, geolocation accuracy, and data prices,” said Adam Keith, Director of Space & Earth Observation at Euroconsult and editor of the report. “Nevertheless, competition is increasing and with new entrants possibly pricing data and solutions very competitively, there is the potential for disruption in the market.”

COMMERCIAL DATA MARKET GROWTH STAGNATION DISGUISES OPPORTUNITIES

Supply of EO solutions continues to expand and diversify despite an overall slowing of commercial data demand; this slowing is a result of reduced U.S. government defense spending on commercial data compared to previous years. The commercial data market totaled $1.5 billion in 2013; this represents stagnant (0%) growth from 2012 as the impact of reduced U.S. government spending takes effect.

The level of the U.S. defense outlay however disguises growth elsewhere in the market, in particular in sales to non-U.S. defense users. The commercial data market to non-U.S. defense organizations totaled $560 million in 2013 and has grown at a 14% CAGR over the last five years. In order to meet this demand, commercial operators are successfully providing direct-access satellite contracts to defense users. Emerging enterprise markets are also expected to further develop, particularly location-based services and support to engineering and infrastructure projects.

In 2023 the market for commercial EO data is expected to reach $3.6 billion (8% CAGR over 2014-2023). Regionally, the Asian markets, Latin America and Africa are expected to have strong growth profiles with expected growth at over 10% CAGR to 2023. Natural resources management, engineering & infrastructure, and again defense are expected to be the main application areas supporting growth.

MANUFACTURING EXPORT OPPORTUNITIES TO INCREASE, POSES DILEMMA TO THE INDUSTRY

Satellites launched from emerging programs will account for a growing part of the manufacturing market. Between 2004 and 2013, $1.9 billion of the total EO manufacturing revenues were derived from these programs; this is expected to increase to $4.4 billion between 2014 and 2023. Such programs, which may lack proprietary manufacturing solutions, are expected to be a key driver for the upstream industry looking to export solutions.

The majority of export activities to date have focused on lower-cost technology transfer missions to help develop a national industry and/or space program. Partnerships have been a successful mechanism to build up emerging manufacturers’ expertise. However, further countries have chosen to procure high-cost EO systems to meet more immediate national requirements, particularly for defense. For countries lacking a national manufacturing infrastructure, more direct procurement is required from existing “high-end” solutions. In this case, capacity building is dropped in favor of obtaining a high-performing satellite delivered in a shorter timeframe. The dilemma for the established manufacturers capable of designing “high-end” systems is whether they expand into the development of lower-cost solutions, or remain with high-end provision, despite the more limited number of export opportunities.

There is however already strong competition to address these opportunities as most major prime manufacturers look to expand their business. In addition, by 2023, 26 countries are expected to have full manufacturing capabilities (acting as a prime and/or integrator); this will add further competition in the longer term for the developing EO satellite export market.

About the Report

Satellite-Based Earth Observation, Market Prospects to 2023 is the only report providing industry forecasts, assessment of business opportunities and analysis of the entire value chain for this growing segment of the satellite industry. The 7th edition of this landmark report includes a detailed breakdown of application sectors within each region along with consolidated forecasts per application sector and per region. For more information on this report, please visit www.euroconsult-ec.com/shop.

About Euroconsult

Euroconsult is the leading global consulting firm specializing in space markets. As a privately-owned, fully independent firm, we provide first-class strategic consulting, develop comprehensive research and organize executive-level annual summits for the industry. With 30 years of experience, Euroconsult is trusted by over 570 clients in over 50 countries. Euroconsult is headquartered in Paris, with offices in Montreal, Washington, D.C., and permanent representation in Japan.

PRESS CONTACT
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HUNTSVILLE, Ala., Oct. 7, 2014 /PRNewswire/ — OHB Group, Germany’s major space system company, has selected Intergraph® to provide long-term storage and cataloging of earth observation data as part of a satellite system.

Utilizing Hexagon Geospatial’s server architecture, including ERDAS APOLLO, Intergraph’s solution will provide services for management, retrieval and ingestion of the data. In addition to long-term storage of processed images, the archive will also store raw image data and provide a catalogue of all filed data for investigation or research purposes.

Solution to support satellite-based radar reconnaissance system.

“Intergraph offered the most robust solution to meet our need for archiving multiple petabytes of data and offering 24×7 availability for a continuous feed,” said Maik Plenter, head of procurement, OHB System AG.

OHB is specialized in low-orbit and geostationary small satellites for navigation, communications, Earth observation and scientific research, as well as reconnaissance satellites and instruments for broadband wireless transmission of reconnaissance image data for greater security and reconnaissance.

About Intergraph

Intergraph helps the world work smarter. The company’s software and solutions improve the lives of millions of people through better facilities, safer communities and more reliable operations.

Intergraph Process, Power & Marine (PP&M) is the world’s leading provider of enterprise engineering software enabling smarter design and operation of plants, ships and offshore facilities. Intergraph Security, Government & Infrastructure (SG&I) is the leader in smart solutions for emergency response, utilities, transportation and other global challenges. For more information, visit www.intergraph.com.

Intergraph is part of Hexagon (Nordic exchange: HEXA B; www.hexagon.com), a leading global provider of design, measurement, and visualization technologies that enable customers to design, measure and position objects, and process and present data.

© 2014 Intergraph Corporation. All rights reserved. Intergraph is part of Hexagon. Intergraph and the Intergraph logo are registered trademarks of Intergraph Corporation or its subsidiaries in the United States and in other countries. Other brands and product names are trademarks of their respective owners.

Logo – http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20081211/DECLOGO

SOURCE Intergraph

©geospatialworld, Oct 2014. The German Remote Sensing Data Center aims to ensure global earth observation at high temporal and spatial resolution, and to contribute to an understanding of global change processes. Prof. Dr. Stefan Dech, Director, DLR, German Remote Sensing Data Center (DFD), explains how DFD will contribute to national and European earth observation missions

How has the German Remote Sensing Data Center (DFD) evolved over the years?

The mission of the German Remote Sensing Data Center (DFD) is to support science, industry, and the general public, enabling informed decision making in the context of global change on the basis of satellite- based earth observation techniques. DFD and its sister-institute, the Remote Sensing Technology Institute (IMF) together comprise the Earth Observation Center (EOC), which has become a centre of competence for earth observation in Germany. It belongs to the German Aerospace Center (DLR), which is the country’s national institution for aerospace, energy and transportation research. At DFD, we have set ourselves the task of making remote sensing an indispensable tool for earth stewardship. We operate national and international satellite data receiving stations which enable direct access to data from many earth observation missions, derive value-added information products from raw data, and archive and disseminate such products and information to the end users. We also host the World Data Center for Remote Sensing of the Atmosphere (WDC-RSAT) — a user service that processes, archives, and distributes atmospheric in- formation. Today, DFD is Germany’s most important EO institution. There is no other institution in Europe with a comparable architecture comprised of geoscience research, engineering advances, round-the-clock uninterrupted operation of receiving stations, and a national data archive.

Which are the sectors in Germany that are important users of remote sensing technology?

End users of DFD products and services are the Federal national government, states, and communities; international government bodies and line agencies, large international and non-governmental organisations; and of course the industry and the media. For example, during the disastrous tsunami in Indian Ocean, in December 2004, DFD delivered maps within 48 hours to relief organisations such as Germany’s Federal Agency for Technical Relief (THW), the German Red Cross, or ‘Médecins sans Frontières’. Our map products, which depicted damage extent and accessibility challenges, were requested by television, print, and online media to inform the public. At that time, we founded the Center for Satellite based Crisis Information (ZKI), which has been actively contributing to disaster related mapping activities globally for 10 years now.

What are the current trends in the earth observation industry in Germany?

Earth observation in Germany is driven by large research organisations — German as well as Germany-based international companies — as well as small and medium scale enterprises (SMEs), and to a certain degree by R&D initiated at universities. For example, the German satellite TerraSAR-X, which was realised via a public-private partnership between DLR and EADS Astrium, has been effective in boosting synthetic aperture radar (SAR) based earth observation applications. The mapping and analysis of urban area floods, surface motion, and many other application fields have profited greatly from this sensor. The success of TerraSAR-X led to the launch of the TanDEM-X satellite, enabling exact and consistent topographic mapping of our planet at unprecedented precision. EADS Astrium, a company that has been fused with Cassidian and Airbus Military to form the new Airbus branch Airbus Defence and Space, with headquarters in Munich, will be responsible for commercially distributing the resulting so-called WorldDEM dataset.

A trend which we observe at the global scale is the opening up of data archives, making earth observation data freely available. Here, the USA has set the pace with the free provision of a large number of medium resolution datasets, as well as products provided by the MODIS and Landsat science teams. Landsat data is also freely available to the global community, and the EU and the European Space Agency are already following this path by providing easy access to historic ENVISAT satellite data and making the upcoming Sentinel sensor fleet data freely available. The large amount of free data of course poses challenges for many analysts and scientists with respect to storage space and data processing.

The latest trend of launching CubeSats — miniature satellites — might change EO. CubeSats form the backbone of commercial ventures such as PlanetLabs. DLR has helped Berlin University of Technology (TU Berlin) to launch its CubeSats BEESAT-1 to BEESAT-3, a small mission meant for educational purposes.

Another trend which will make a difference in the EO industry in the future is development of so-called citizen science applications. We are living at a time when nearly every citizen owns a smartphone. The devices are increasingly capable of not only collecting GPS coordinates and photographs, but evolve more and more towards being mini-laboratories that can be equipped to measure atmospheric parameters such as air temperature, moisture, and particle density, or can even be used to steer tiny mini-drones. At the same time, the challenge of Big Data will remain: the tricky task will be to extract 5% of useful information and data from the huge amount of not-so-useful data.

How would you rank the German remote sensing industry in terms of the technology innovations?

Germany’s major strength is in airborne and spaceborne SAR sensor and platform development. At the global level, we are in the same league as the USA, France, Italy, or Japan. In the field of optical sensor development, France is a strong player within Europe, and historically there has always been a bit of competition between the two countries, with France setting the pace. However, German companies such as Jenoptik, OHB System (including the former Kayser-Threde), and Astro- und Feinwerktechnik Adlershof are often high in demand when it comes to sensor technology. The Korean Aerospace Research Institute (KARI), for example, has cooperated with German private-public partnerships for many years, and relies on DLR technology to boost its national KOMPSAT satellite programme. Furthermore, international players like Airbus Defence and Space have branch offices in Germany.

Additionally, several dozen SMEs focussing on data processing and remote sensing applications have been established in recent years. Most of them are partners of DFD in numerous projects, such as the companies GAF and the former Euromap, European Space Imaging, BlackBridge, EOMAP, Brockman Consult, Remote Sensing Solutions GmbH, EFTAS, and CloudEO, to name a few. The German remote sensing industry is well-respected on the global scene, valued for high precision technology and high quality information products.

What is the strategy to support local SMEs and to raise the profile of the geospatial industry in Germany?

DFD has already been an incubator for SMEs in Germany for more than three decades. Several small companies have been successfully founded either by former DFD experts or with the strong support of the DFD directorate. The EOMAP, specialising in information products for oceans and inland waters, was founded in 2006 by one of our former post-doctoral scientists. Another SME Green Spin, focussing on satellite- based solutions for efficient agricultural management, has evolved from the remote sensing department at the University of Würzburg, and has a solid backup via the knowledge and competence available at DFD. DLR furthermore offers technology marketing support for colleagues who would like to found a company and continue their career on the open market. The fact that space science in Germany is funded and supported by the BMWi ensures bridging of the gap between science and industry. In this way utmost transparency between both sectors is ensured, and cooperation can easily be backed up and strengthened.

Is DFD involved in skill development or training?

While training and capacity building is not the main mandate of DFD, many of our scientists are actively involved in such activities around the globe. Some of our experts — especially from the geoscience research departments — assist the next generation of scientists and frequently teach at German universities. We have close links with the Munich University of Technology, and the University of Augsburg. Furthermore, some of our group leaders teach during summer schools or short workshops of the European Space Agency (ESA) and other space agencies. In many of our bilateral and international applied research projects we support local partners in the focus countries with training in remote sensing data analysis. Such training has — for example — been well received by institutes of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology (VAST) and by surveying and mapping agencies in Indonesia and Kazakhstan. At the moment, we are actively involved in IT training in the Chinese Yellow River Delta, where DFD, jointly with its Chinese partners, is implementing an environmental information system to support local stakeholders’ planning tasks.

Furthermore, DFD actively contributes to the DLR School Lab. DLR operates 12 school labs at 12 different locations in Germany. One of them is located on our premises in Oberpfaffenhofen near Munich.

How do you see remote sensing technology and related industry evolving in the coming years in Germany?

I am confident that exciting times lie ahead of us. More and more earth observing sensors are being launched into orbit — especially emerging economies such as China, India, Brazil or Vietnam have started building up monitoring fleets. In February 2013, Landsat 8 was launched by the USA, granting mission continuity to this important sensor line. And this spring, the ESA has launched Sentinel-1 — the first of a fleet of so-called Sentinel satellites. The Sentinels are a milestone in European earth observation. The very next launch will be Sentinel-2, which is scheduled for April 2015. DFD plans to acquire, process, and use Sentinel-2 data as part of the national collaborative Copernicus ground segment and initiatives such as the Bavarian Copernicus Center.

Cloud computing will revolutionise the way we store and process earth observation information. An ever increasing IT affinity in our society will influence how we transport and validate our results. Environmental information systems and decision support systems will become standard tools for visualising and sharing our data products and findings. While there definitely is a trend towards privatisation of the space sector, there also is a trend towards more input from the global public — be it via CubeSats, funding projects, or mobile data uploading. Our society is greatly fascinated by space, remote sensing and earth observation, and I observe an increase in participation; maybe one could even call it democratisation. These are truly exciting times!

See more at

23 – 24 October, Berlin

Connect with high-level representatives from leading institutions such as the European Space Agency, European Commission, European GNSS Agency, European Patent Office, EU Committee of the Regions, Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure, German Aerospace Center, and NASA, as well as major industry players like Airbus Defence and Space, European Space Imaging, Hisdesat, Garmin, Nokia, Skybox Imaging, TomTom, T-Systems and many more. A multitude of exciting start-up companies from the European Space Agency’s Business Incubation Centres (ESA BICs) and other award-winning entrepreneurs will also be in attendance.

VIEW SPEAKERS & PROGRAMME

Taking place on 23 – 24 October 2014 in the start-up hub of Berlin, the event will feature an outstanding blend of conference sessions, workshops, and round-table discussions. Meanwhile, the Satellite Masters Conference is much more than just a networking event: It is a unique marketplace for sharing innovations in space-based technology and infrastructure and connecting with the world’s leading network for downstream satellite business. Become part of this unique constellation!

Awards Ceremony (23 October, 18:30)
The Conference will cap off the joint Awards Ceremony of Europe’s major innovation competitions for space applications – the European Satellite Navigation Competition and the Copernicus Masters.

Business matching (23 & 24 October, all day)
The Satellite Masters Conference will provide an excellent opportunity for individual meetings with other conference participants. All participants are invited to register for the Business matching to pre-schedule one-on-one meetings with their peers.

REGISTER NOW

To attend the Satellite Masters Conference and Awards Ceremony 2014, free registration is required. Please use the online registration form at www.satellite-masters-conference.eu before 10 October.

VENUES

Conference
German Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure (BMVI)
Invalidenstraße 44
10115 Berlin
Germany

Awards Ceremony
Deutsche Telekom AG Hauptstadtrepräsentanz
Französische Straße 33 a-c
10117 Berlin
Germany

© SpaceNews, PARIS — The Venezuelan government on Oct. 5 contracted with China’s satellite- and rocket-export company for construction and launch of an Earth observation satellite in what will be the two nations’ third satellite collaboration.

The contract-signing ceremony was witnessed by Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and occurred during the National Culture Congress in Caracas. Maduro said the satellite, until now referred to as Venezuelan Remote Sensing Satelite 2, will be named Antonio Jose de Sucre, after a 19th century Venezuelan independence leader.

For Beijing-based China Great Wall Industry Corp. (CGWIC), the Venezuelan contract ended a dry spell on export markets. China’s domestic demand is sufficient to keep its Long March rocket series busy, but CGWIC is charged with finding export opportunities. The contracts are usually for the in-orbit delivery of satellites developed in China.

The Venezuelan president’s office, in a post-ceremony statement, said the Sucre satellite would be developed by Venezuelan and Chinese engineers as part of a joint effort.

The satellite’s technical specifications were not immediately available, nor was its launch date aboard the China Long March 2D vehicle.

The contract reinforces China’s position in Latin America, where it has won orders for telecommunications satellites from Bolivia and Venezuela and has an Earth observation satellite series with Brazil.

The large Chinese-built Venesat telecommunications satellite was launched in 2008 but has had little effect on the broader South American market for satellite bandwidth, industry officials have said. Venezuela’s VRSS1 Earth observation satellite was launched in September 2012. It carries an imager capable of detecting objects with a 2.5-meter diameter or larger in black-and-white mode, with a 57-kilometer swath width, when pointing straight down.

Source

spacemart1

spacemart2

[Via Satellite 10-07-2014] South African aerospace group Space Commercial Service Holdings (SCSH) has launched its first self-developed export product.

The Phoenix-20 HS is a micro-satellite that uses an advanced remote sensing system based on hyperspectral imaging, which breaks up images in different spectral bands and enables it to unveil more details of the Earth’s surface.

The Phoenix-20 HS can be used for monitoring the health of agriculture crops for food security, forest canopies to enable early warnings for pest control, soils and vegetation restoration after mining operations, aquatic ecosystems for future water resource, mapping of natural vegetation, shoreline changes, the effect of climate change, and the management of natural disasters.

The Phoenix, according to Sias Mostert, CEO of SCSH, will have a total weight below 24 kg and cost between $2.5 million and $4 million. It is available in two options: either with a design lifetime of one year and 500 km orbital height above the Earth’s surface, or a three to five year lifespan at a height between 500 and 700 kilometers. It typically takes around two years from signing of the contract to the launch of a satellite.

Source

Chinese space authorities have released the first imagery captured by Gaofen-2, the country’s most advanced earth observation satellite so far. Gaofen-2, which was launched on 19 August, can render images with a ground sampling distance of 80 centimetres in panchromatic mode and 3.2 metres in multispectral mode.

Chinese space authorities have downloaded 15 high-resolution photos from the EO satellite. The State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense plans to use the new satellite to help with a variety of tasks, including land use surveillance, mineral resource surveys and disaster relief.

This comes as China announced last week that it plans to build a comprehensive Earth Observation system within the next ten years that integrates use of air-, space-, and ground-based technology, including UAVs, satellites, and GNSS systems.

Gaofen-2 is the second of seven planned earth observation satellites comprising the Gaofen project, which is expected to be operational by 2020.

You can see more images from Gaofen-2 at the official release page

Source

(6 October 2014) The Exelis-built Advanced Himawari Imager (AHI) will launch Oct. 7 on board a Mitsubishi Electric Corporation weather satellite, Himawari-8, improving weather forecasts and early warnings for severe weather in Eastern Asia and Western Pacific.

The second imager was delivered in August to Japan.

Mitsubishi Electric Corporation integrated the Exelis-built AHI into the satellite for the Japan Meteorological Agency to provide round-the-clock regional weather forecast and severe weather alerts.

The Himawari imagers are based on the Exelis Advanced Baseline Imager (ABI) designed and built for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)’s next-generation Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite-R (GOES-R) constellation. The Himawari-8 will be the first mission launched hosting an Exelis ABI-class instrument. As part of the Exelis intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and analytics strategic growth platform, these advanced instruments will provide better insight into the makeup of storms, higher-resolution images and will observe full-disk images of earth three times faster than today’s capability, which is critical in helping protect lives and property.

“We are all excited to get the ABI technology launched into space,” said Eric Webster, vice president for weather systems for Exelis. “It will help Japan with improved forecasting and NOAA with ABI-class data for testing and use before GOES-R launches in 2016. Japan has been hit by several large typhoons recently and ABI technology will provide significant improved capabilities for severe storm forecasting.”

The Himawari-8 and -9 (slated to launch in 2016) geostationary satellites replace current Multifunctional Transport Satellite (MTSAT) series. The Himawari (Japanese for “sunflower”) satellites are part of the World Weather Watch program within the World Meteorological Organization.

Exelis is in the process of building and delivering seven advanced imagers: two for Japan; one for South Korea; and four for NASA and NOAA. Exelis has provided every geostationary imager and sounder to the U.S. government since 1994 and has also built the current geostationary imagers flown by Japan and South Korea.

About Exelis

Exelis is a diversified, top-tier global aerospace, defense and information solutions company that leverages a 50-year legacy of deep customer knowledge and technical expertise to deliver affordable, mission-critical solutions for global customers. We are a leader in positioning and navigation, sensors, air traffic management solutions, image processing and distribution, communications and information systems, and focused on strategic growth in the areas of critical networks, ISR and analytics, electronic warfare and composite aerostructures. Headquartered in McLean, Va., Exelis employs approximately 10,000 people and generated 2013 sales of $4.8 billion.

(source: Exelis)

(ESA website) (6 October 2014) With the commissioning of Sentinel-1A completed and the satellite’s transfer to the team in charge of its exploitation, its data are available as of today to all users.

This marks the beginning of the satellite’s operational life, delivering radar coverage for an array of applications in the areas of oceans, ice, changing land and emergency response.

Project Manager Ramón Torres, who led the development team, formally handed over the satellite to the Mission Manager, Pierre Potin.

“The time has arrived for the satellite to exploit its extraordinary capabilities and start helping users,” said Ramón.

“A leap forward from ESA’s earlier Envisat, the unprecedented quality of Sentinel-1A will ensure that all users’ needs are fully met.

“Of course, saying farewell is always difficult, but I am confident that it is in capable and safe hands for the next stage of its journey.”

Launched on 3 April, Sentinel-1A completed commissioning on 23 September – an important process that ensures the satellite, instruments, data acquisition and data processing procedures are working well.

Not only did Sentinel-1A pass these tests and reach its target orbit on 7 August, eight anticollision manoeuvres to avoid space debris were performed during this phase.

The satellite will now begin delivering radar scans for an array of operational services and scientific research.

“My main objective is to ensure that Sentinel-1 fulfils the high expectations from the various operational services and scientific users,” notes Pierre.

“Looking at the satellite and ground segment performance – as demonstrated during the commissioning – as well as the preliminary results achieved so far, I’m confident that the mission will be a great success.”

The satellite will continue to be monitored, operated and controlled from ESA’s Space Operations Centre in Darmstadt, Germany.

The Sentinels are a new fleet of ESA satellite poised to deliver the wealth of data and imagery that are central to Europe’s Copernicus programme.

By offering a set of key information services for a broad range of applications, this global monitoring programme is a step change in the way we manage our environment, understand and tackle the effects of climate change, and safeguard everyday lives.

Sentinel-1 – a two-satellite constellation – is the first in the series and carries an advanced radar to provide an all-weather, day-and-night supply of imagery of Earth’s surface.

Even during commissioning, Sentinel-1A demonstrated its potential in the various applications domains.

Just days after launch, its results were included in maps of the floods that hit Namibia, as well as those in the Balkans the following month. This information was then used by authorities involved in flood response.

Radar images were also used to map the rupture caused by the 24 August earthquake that shook northern California – the biggest the area has seen in 25 years.

The towing of the Costa Concordia cruise ship off the west coast of Italy was captured by the radar, demonstrating Sentinel-1’s ability to survey the marine environment.

This and many other services will now start benefiting from Sentinel-1A’s operational status. These include services related to monitoring Arctic sea-ice extent, routine sea-ice mapping, surveillance of the marine environment, monitoring land-surface for motion risks, mapping for forest, water and soil management and mapping to support humanitarian aid and crisis situations.

The mission’s contributions will further improve once the satellite’s identical twin, Sentinel-1B, is launched in 2016.

(source: ESA)

Related news
gizmag

(3 October 2014) ESA’s ice mission has been used to create a new gravity map, exposing thousands of previously unchartered ‘seamounts’, ridges and deep ocean structures.

This vivid new picture of the least-explored part of the ocean offers fresh clues about how continents form and breakup.

Carrying a radar altimeter, CryoSat’s main role is to provide detailed measurements of the height of the world’s ice. This allows us to see how the thickness of the ice changes, seasonally and in response to climate change.

However, CryoSat works continuously, whether there is ice below or not. This means that the satellite can also measure the height of the surface of the sea. These measurements can be used to create global marine gravity models and, from them, maps of the seafloor.

Although invisible to the eye, the sea surface has ridges and valleys that echo the topography of the ocean floor, but on a greatly reduced scale.

The effect of the slight increase in gravity caused by the mass of rock in an undersea mountain is to attract a mound of water several metres high over the seamount. Deep ocean trenches have the reverse effect.

These features can only be detected by using radar altimetry from space.

Scientists from Scripps Institute of Oceanography at University California San Diego in the US and colleagues tapped into two new streams of satellite data to create a new gravity map mirroring features of the ocean floor – twice as accurate as the previous version produced nearly 20 years ago.

They used measurements that CryoSat has captured over the oceans during the last four years as well as measurements from the French–US Jason-1 satellite, which was retasked to map the gravity field during the last year of its 12-year mission.

Combined with existing data, the new map, described in the journal Science, reveals details of thousands of undersea mountains rising a kilometre or more from the bottom of the ocean.

The new map offers geophysics new tools to investigate little-studied remote ocean basins and processes such as seafloor spreading.

“The kinds of things you can see very clearly now are abyssal hills, which are the most common land form on the planet,” said David Sandwell, lead scientist of the paper and a geophysics professor at Scripps.

The authors of the study say the map provides a new window into the tectonics of the deep oceans.

Previously unseen features in the map include newly exposed continental connections across South America and Africa, and new evidence for seafloor spreading ridges at the Gulf of Mexico that were active 150 million years ago and are now buried by layers of sediment more than a kilometre thick.

One of the most important uses of this new marine gravity field will be to improve the estimates of seafloor depth in the 80% of the oceans that remains uncharted or is buried beneath thick sediment.

The new map will also provide the foundation for the upcoming new version of Google’s ocean maps to fill large voids between shipboard depth profiles.

ESA’s Richard Francis, co-author and project manager for the development of CryoSat, said, “Although CryoSat’s primary mission is in the cryosphere, we knew as soon as we selected its orbit that it would be invaluable for marine geodesy, and this work proves the point.”

(source: ESA)