Skip to content

(17 September 2013) Astrium and Hisdesat have completed the production and integration process for the PAZ satellite in Madrid.

The announcement was made at a ceremony at the Astrium Barajas premises, in the presence of the Spanish Secretary of State for Defence, Mr Pedro Argüelles.

PAZ is designed to cover not only security and defence needs but also civil applications. It will be able to take more than 100 images each day with up to 1 metre resolution, day and night and irrespective of meteorological conditions. Designed for a mission lasting five and a half years, PAZ will cover an area of over 300,000 square kilometres per day. It is configured to make fifteen orbits of the Earth each day at an altitude of 514 kilometres and at a velocity of seven kilometres per second (25,200 km per hour). On its slightly inclined quasi-polar orbit, PAZ will cover the entire globe on average in 24 hours.

The satellite weighs 1400 kg and is 5 metres high, with a diameter of 2.4 metres. The radar is designed for high flexibility, with the capability to operate in numerous configurations allowing for the choice of several different image features. It has an image memory of 256 GB and a capacity to transmit images at 300 Mbits per second in X-band.

Hisdesat is the owner, operator and user of the PAZ satellite, which will offer precise information for multiple applications from its polar orbit. PAZ is scheduled for launch in 2014 on board the Russian launcher Dnepr, under the contract signed with the Russian company KOSMOTRAS.

The Spanish space industry was heavily involved in the project, with 18 companies providing components. The creation of skilled jobs over these years, the commitment to Spanish research, development & innovation, and the public-private partnership with Central Government have all served to make the PAZ programme a success story for Spain’s industrial development.

“In such a complex sector requiring huge investments, the exhaustive planning of innovative, sophisticated and complex projects is essential to ensure their successful completion”, said Miguel Ángel Panduro, CEO of Hisdesat, “PAZ is a shining example of this type of careful planning.”

“The successful integration of the PAZ satellite on time is the latest success story for the European space industry. Spain has demonstrated with PAZ and soon with, Ingenio, that its industry is one of the leading five European nations with outstanding space related capabilities”, added Antonio Cuadrado, Head of Astrium in Spain. “Once in space, PAZ will share the same orbit as TerraSAR-X and they will be operated as a genuine constellation providing a broad range of services, such as: reduced revisit time, enhanced acquisition capacity, identical image characteristics and modes of acquisition (including the new StaringSpotLight and Wide ScanSAR specifically for IMINT –Imagery Intelligence- and maritime monitoring applications), easy ordering and direct access services.”

As prime contractor, Astrium led a large consortium of space industry sector companies for the integration of the satellite at its facilities in Madrid. It has also developed the radar’s front section, the antenna of which constitutes one of the satellite’s most important and innovative components, using multi-layered printed circuits and radiators.

Since construction began, the PAZ satellite has been generating significant returns on investment for the Spanish space industry companies involved, allowing them to develop new capabilities that further enhance their competitiveness in the global space market. The new satellite will also enable Spain to significantly improve its position in the European Global Monitoring for Environment and Security programme (Copernicus/GMES), the main initiative in Earth observation led jointly by the European Union and the European Space Agency (ESA).

About Hisdesat

Hisdesat was founded in 2001 as an operator of government satellite services acting primarily in the areas of defense, security, intelligence and foreign services. Since 2005, the company has provided secure satellite communications to government agencies in different countries and is currently developing new satellite constellations for Earth observation and maritime traffic tracking by satellite (AIS).

About Astrium

Astrium is the number one company in Europe for space technologies and the second in the world. It is the only global company that covers the full range of civil and defence space systems, equipment and services.

In 2012, Astrium had a turnover over €5.8 billion and 18,000 employees worldwide.

Its three business units are: Astrium Space Transportation, the European prime contractor for launchers, orbital systems and space exploration; Astrium Satellites, a leading provider of satellite system solutions, including spacecraft, ground segments, payloads and equipments; Astrium Services, the Space services partner for critical missions, providing comprehensive fixed and mobile solutions covering secure and commercial satcoms and networks, and bespoke geo-information services, worldwide.

Astrium is a wholly owned subsidiary of EADS, a global leader in aerospace, defence and related services. In 2012, the Group – comprising Airbus, Astrium, Cassidian and Eurocopter – generated revenues of €56.5 billion and employed a workforce of over 140,000.

(source: Astrium) and spacenews

(September 2013 by Cécile Barbière for EurActiv.fr in Paris) Backed by EU funding, satellite data is increasingly used to monitor urban development and natural resource use in developing countries, EurActiv France reports.

Forest protection, urban growth planning and water resources are growing issues for developing countries, where the lack of scientific data represents a big challenge.

Several international space programmes help bridge this gap by providing this valuable data to developing countries within the framework of international cooperation.

“This type of programme is especially aimed at countries that do not have tools for collecting and processing data efficiently,” says Anna Burzykowska, a specialist of Earth observation at the World Bank.

Through the project Eoworld, the World Bank, in collaboration with the European Space Agency (ESA), provides for five years the collection and analysis of satellite data in more than twenty countries in Latin America, Africa and Asia. The space agency provides free images, as well as the processing and analysis in the context of specific projects. The World Bank is responsible for defining and implementing the projects, engaging local stakeholders, facilitating access to available in situ data and providing final feedback on the quality and benefits of the project results.

In a coastal community in North Africa, a project has allowed to observe the adaptation to climate change in the region and locate the areas where the land sags.

“The results obtained during the observation have shown the extent of the problem with our government counterparts,” says Sameh Wahba, project manager at the World Bank. “Following this, authorities immediately decided to incorporate risk mitigation policies in their plans for adaptation and resilience,” she says.

Since 2010, the French Development Agency has also launched a programme to monitor the evolution of forests in Central Africa. Achieved through an agreement with EADS-Astrium, this programme provides data to tropical forest countries to improve the protection of their natural heritage, something that would be impossible without satellite images.

Satellites provide real-time data on a variety of development issues: climate change, rising sea levels, water quality, floods and movement or urban growth.

“Being able to monitor very large areas with limited resources is one of the main challenges that developing countries face,” says Zoubida Allaoua, Director in the Network of the World Bank for sustainable development.

These non-invasive technologies are also particularly useful in areas of conflict, where the collection of field data can be extremely difficult.

Still, if the satellite images are usually available free of charge, the cost of processing and analysis remains very high, and often beyond the reach of developing countries. They are therefore highly dependent on international cooperation in this field.

Cécile Barbière for EurActiv.fr in Paris

Source#!

(23 Sept 2013, Munich) European Space Imaging (EUSI) High-Res Challenge submissions as part of the 2013 Copernicus Masters are up by one third making it a successful submission round in the 2nd year of the competition.

Over the next two months a panel of geo-information and Earth Observation experts will assess all the idea proposals submitted to the European Space Imaging High-Res Challenge and selected a winner. The Copernicus Masters is the European Earth Monitoring Competition awarding prizes for innovation and new business ideas based on Earth observation data. The selected High-Res Challenge champion will automatically become a candidate for this year’s prize of overall winner and potentially win the title Copernicus Master 2013.

Last year’s High-Res Challenge winner, Hans van ‘t Woud, became the overall winner taking out the title of Master for 2012 with an idea utilising Very High-Resolution (VHR) satellite imagery within a crowdsourced gaming program. Perhaps the winning participant for the current edition of the European Space Imaging High-Res Challenge will also surprise with an idea on the cutting edge of Earth Observation and VHR satellite imagery application good enough to become this year’s Master.

The European Space Imaging High-Res Challenge winner, the other Copernicus competition winners and the Copernicus Master for 2013 will be announced on 5th November in an awards ceremony taking place on the opening night of the European Space Solutions conference in Munich. The event will be hosted by the Copernicus Masters and the Andwensungzentrum Oberpfaffenhofen.

About Copernicus Masters

Since 2011, the European Earth Monitoring Competition Copernicus Masters (previously known as GMES Masters) is annually rewarding ideas and innovative solutions benefitting business and society based on Earth observation data. In this year’s edition, the partners of the Copernicus Masters – the European Space Agency (ESA), the German Aerospace Center (DLR), T-Systems International GmbH, European Space Imaging GmbH, Astrium Services, BMW Group Research and Technology, and GEO magazine are awarding prizes in nine categories valued at a total of EUR 350,000. In addition, the overall winner – the Copernicus Master 2013 – will be rewarded at the Awards Ceremony.

About European Space Imaging

European Space Imaging (EUSI) is the leading supplier of very high-resolution (VHR) satellite imagery across Europe and North Africa. Recently EUSI extended its product offering to include GeoEye-1 and Ikonos, new members of DigitalGlobe’s advanced satellite constellation. They join WorldView-1, WorldView-2 and QuickBird to form the most capable VHR satellite constellation available.

EUSI is the only European satellite data provider operating a multi-mission capable ground station, enabling optimised collection strategies, flexibility and real-time weather assessments throughout Europe and North Africa. Since 2002 EUSI has provided access to the latest, most advanced VHR satellites available and services to customers throughout their region.

To learn more please contact:
Penelope Richardson, Marketing Manager
European Space Imaging
Arnulfstrasse 199, Munich 80634
Tel: +49 (0) 89 13014255
Fax: +49 (0) 89 13014222
prichardson@euspaceimaging.com
www.euspaceimaging.com

(September 23rd, 2013) [SatNews] Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Reforms Ahsan Iqbal has said that Pakistan’s first Remote Sensing Satellite System (RSSS) will be launched soon to meet the national and international user requirements in the field of satellite imagery.

While addressing the eighth convocation of Institute of Space Technology (IST) last Saturday, he said the government wanted to make more sophisticated satellite system in the country, adding the satellite system could be helpful in the socio economic development of the country.

He said there was an important role of space technology in the development of different sectors including agriculture, fisheries, infrastructure development, education, health and transportation. He said the rate of economic development in the country remained very low during the past decade due to lack of political stability and policy discontinuity.

While addressing the newly graduated students, he said they should have an optimistic approach about the country and called to play their role in the economic development of the country by applying their research based knowledge into their professional careers. He said, “Pakistan is not under-developed, but it is an under-managed country.”

Earlier, the Federal Minister awarded medals and degrees to students of three departments of the institute including Aerospace Engineering, Communication System Engineering and Material Science and Engineering.

While addressing the students, Engineer Imran Rehman, Vice Chancellor of IST said the IST had achieved the fifth rank among all engineering institutes and universities in the country.

“The IST is likely to get a university status in November this year due to its best performance,” he said. He said the country was facing multiple crisis including water and energy crisis, and they could help the country to overcome those crises by applying their first hand knowledge and skills that they acquired during their stay in the institute. (Source: Business Recorder.)

Satnews

(SpaceNews, By Peter B. de Selding | Sep. 24, 2013) BEIJING — Even as the U.S. and French governments debate whether to permit the commercial sale of optical Earth observation imagery sharper than 50 centimeters in resolution, Astrium Geo-Information Services of Germany is designing a next-generation radar satellite with a 25-centimeter ground sampling distance, an Astrium official said here Sept. 24.

The satellite, called TerraSAR-X Next Generation, would provide data continuity to users of the current two-satellite TerraSAR-X/TanDEM-X radar system that in 2014 will be complemented by the Spanish Paz radar satellite.

TerraSAR-X, TanDEM-X and Paz satellites have sensors capable of delivering images with a resolution as sharp as 1 meter, meaning they can detect objects of that diameter and above. When Paz is launched, the three satellites will be spaced 120 degrees apart in a polar low-Earth orbit of 514 kilometers to reduce the amount of time it takes for the two current satellites to revisit an area of interest.

Built by Astrium Satellites, Paz is owned by Hisdesat of Spain. The two companies have agreed to form a single sales unit with common direct-access stations for users to be able to process Paz and TerraSAR-X/TanDEM-X data seamlessly.

To reduce the revisit time over a given area of the Earth to less than 10 hours, the constellation would need to include between three and five satellites, said Thomas Schrage of Astrium.

The business case for a second-generation TerraSAR-X has been complicated by the noninvolvement of the German Aerospace Center, DLR, in its financing, and by the less-than-stellar sales of radar data. Astrium officials have said a new product, called World DEM, to be introduced next year, should clinch the business case for building the next-generation TerraSAR-X.

Astrium officials hope to use the work they are performing for the German Defense Ministry, under contract to OHB AG of Bremen, Germany, on a second-generation German military radar reconnaissance system to build TerraSAR-X NG.

In a presentation here to the 64th International Astronautical Congress, Schrage said the second-generation TerraSAR-X could be launched in 2018.

Schrage suggested that the German government has already approved, in principle, the idea of a commercial satellite distributing 25-centimeter-resolution data on a commercial basis with a specific data-sales law. Another German industry official disputed that, saying the government has reached no decision on whether it will loosen its current 50-centimeter limit on resolution.

Using aerial imagery, Schrage presented side-by-side images of what is discernible with TerraSAR-X’s 1-meter imagery and what is possible at 25 centimeters. The difference was striking.

Confirming German government policy and proving the business case to Astrium management — which has already authorized spending some $400 million on the French Spot 6 and Spot 7 satellites without any French government support or government data-sales commitments — are not the only hurdles to TerraSAR-X NG.

The satellite system would transmit data in X-band at 1,200 megahertz — frequencies that are not yet authorized for this purpose by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), a United Nations affiliate that regulates wireless broadcast frequencies.

The ITU’s governing body is scheduled to meet in 2015, and the 1,200-megahertz spectrum’s use for Earth observation transmissions is expected to be on the agenda.

Source

(Berlin, Germany, September 30, 2013) RapidEye announced today that its North American agricultural imaging campaign has been completed successfully. The campaign, which ran monthly from May 15, 2013 through September 14, 2013, generated more than 16 million km² of cloud-free imagery over 3 million km² spanning twenty-eight US states and three Canadian provinces.


Major Agricultural Areas Imaged Four Times Over Four Months

Program subscribers had access to new imagery as it was collected, including more than 30,000 Level 3A ortho products at the end of the collection windows. The products have an average cloud cover of 5%. The bulk of this imagery (72%) was acquired with low viewing angles of +/- 10°.

AGRI IMAGIS Technologies’ President, Lanny Faleide, boasts, “RapidEye’s imaging capabilities have greatly expanded the use of Satshot’s agricultural imagery analysis system this past season. In 2013, RapidEye has provided Satshot immediate access to products, many times within twenty-four hours of image capture. Their quality and delivery system is second-to-none in the industry.”

RapidEye’s program had great success in Canada due to its high collection capabilities. According to Wade Barnes, CEO of FarmersEdge, “The agricultural monitoring program from RapidEye has allowed us to provide real-time farm management tools to all our global clients. The information is providing the agriculture community a tool to unlock the potential of their farmland.”

Added benefits of the campaign are the utilization of RapidEye’s high-performance cloud infrastructure and high-bandwidth networking that consistently ensure high levels of service and availability. RapidEye’s Product Manager, Karsten Frotscher, recommends, “Potential clients contact RapidEye for a personal demonstration of what the Agricultural Monitoring Program offers. The Agricultural Monitoring Program will go beyond the US and Canada in 2014 so that global agricultural markets can benefit from RapidEye’s expertise and proven success in this area.” For more information on how RapidEye is innovating the agricultural industry, you can contact RapidEye at info@rapideye.com.

About RapidEye

RapidEye is a leading provider of quality high-resolution satellite imagery. With a constellation of five Earth Observation satellites, RapidEye is able to image up to five million square kilometers of earth every day, and adds over one billion square kilometers of imagery to its archive every year. Online searching and viewing of its massive collection of imagery is quick and easy with EyeFind, RapidEye’s archive discovery tool (eyefind.rapideye.com).

With an unprecedented combination of wide area repetitive coverage and five meter pixel size multi-spectral imagery, RapidEye is a natural choice for many industries and government agencies. RapidEye: Delivering the World. www.rapideye.com.

RapidEye Contact
Nicole Heringer
Marketing Communications Manager
Kurfürstendamm 22, 10th floor
10719 Berlin, Germany
press@rapideye.com
(49) 030 609 8300 516

(September 2013) According to a new market research report “Precision Farming Market by Technology (GPS/GNSS, GIS, Remote Sensing & VRT), Components (Automation & Control, Sensors, FMS), Applications (Yield Monitoring, VRA, Mapping, Soil Monitoring, Scouting) – Global Forecast & Analysis (2013 – 2018)” published by MarketsandMarkets, the overall Global precision farming market will be worth $3,721.27 million by 2018, at an estimated CAGR of 13.36%

LogoBrowse 94 market data tables and 64 figures spread through 327 pages and in-depth TOC on “Precision Farming Market – Global Forecast & Analysis (2013 – 2018)”.

Markets and Markets

Early buyers will receive 10% customization on this report.

The ever increasing global food demands and environmental issues have plagued the countries across the globe; there are growing concerns to tackle both the issues, simultaneously. In this challenging situation, precision farming presents a way ahead by offering increasing yields, and at the same time, reducing the wastage and environmental degradation. Precision farming is a technology based in- field management system that optimizes the overall farming practices and input resources. The major drivers for the global Precision Farming Market are profitability & enhancement in the yields, government assistance, energy & cost saving, and the growing agro industry. The restraints for the growth of this market are high initial investments, and lack of technical know-how. The UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) and penetration by broadband and mobile technologies are the key opportunities in the Precision Farming Market.

Precision Farming Market report categorizes the market on the basis of technologies, components, applications, and geography. It also covers the forecast revenue from 2013 to 2018 for the overall market, as well as, for all the segments covered in the report. http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/precision-farming-market-1243.html

Source

UAS

(27 September 2013) Building on its use of satellites for responding to disasters, ESA has helped to create a service that makes flood maps available simply via the Internet.

Floods can be devastating, as seen recently in Germany and central Europe. Knowing the extent of a flood and understanding how it might develop is essential for teams responding to the emergency.

Traditionally, this is often worked out using ground and airborne sensors along with historical flood maps. Invariably, these different sources of information, often from incompatible systems, must be pieced together in a hurry by emergency teams.

But they cannot provide the full picture, especially when it comes to extensive floods and bad weather.
Flood maps on your smartphone

ESA has collaborated with Capgemini, GeoVille Information Systems, Vienna University of Technology and Luxembourg’s Gabriel Lippmann research centre to develop a simple, easy-to-use system that could be available to anyone online.

Near-realtime satellite radar measurements are processed to create location-specific flood maps and deliver them via the Internet.

Satellite readings are processed using cloud computing and made available within hours to workstations as well as common devices such as PCs, laptops, tablets and smartphones.

The service provides historical flood maps for crisis planning, near-realtime flood maps for use by emergency response units, and damage assessment maps after a flood.

The service was recently introduced to around 70 people from emergency organisations in Austria, Styria and Slovenia who gathered in Bad Radkesburg, Austria, for a disaster exercise.
FAAPS browser flood maps

Historical data from ESA’s Envisat radar were used to provide maps. Participants found the system easy to use and feedback will help to add improvements.

This Fully Automated Aqua Processing Service, or FAAPS, was developed and demonstrated through ESA’s Integrated Application Promotion.

Rudolf Hornich, Coordinator for Flood Risk Management in the provincial government of Styria, elaborates on the approach: “Owing to the numerous disastrous floods in recent years, the province of Styria is constantly striving to contribute to innovative projects in managing flood risks.

“From FAAPS we expect up-to-date information for emergency services in crisis and disaster management and support in the evaluation, analysis and documentation of large-scale flood events”.

It is envisaged that ESA’s Sentinel-1 satellite will feed radar measurements into the service. When the European Data Relay System becomes operational, its observations will be available even faster as they are relayed to ground stations wherever needed.

According to ESA’s Olivier Becu, “FAAPS is an excellent example of the added value of satellite data made accessible to crisis management teams for aiding rescue operations.

“In the near future, we expect many operational services to be rolled out in Europe leveraging on space assets to the benefits of users communities and citizens, presenting new business opportunities to industry and operators.”

Source

A Scottish space technology start-up firm financed on “credit cards and pub gigs” is in line for two major European awards for its work on Earth observation and GPS technology.

Steve Lee, an Edinburgh University-trained astrophysicist, started Stevenson Astrosat on a shoestring to fulfil a lifelong passion for “inventing things and building them in my own company”. He told the Sunday Herald that being shortlisted for the European Space Agency’s Copernicus and Galileo awards – the winners will be announced in Munich in November – was an important step in the company’s ability to attract investment and international recognition.

The Musselburgh-based firm won the Copernicus environmental challenge award last year for ThermCERT, a thermal and carbon efficiency reporting tool which uses space-derived data to increase the quality of thermal output measurements.

Lee said he still gigs as a pub guitarist “as a hobby”, despite the firm achieving a substantial six-figure sum in its first year, which it expects to double next year.

He said that Scotland’s thriving and “highly collaborative” cluster of space companies, which also includes Glasgow-based ClydeSpace, Star-Dundee and the UK Astronomy Technology Centre at the Royal Observatory in Edinburgh, was riding a boom in privately-funded investment in space and satellite technology, after reduced spending by national agencies brought new sources of funding into the market. “We’re finally starting to get attention, to find investment and find customers, and are ready to start eating into other parts of space industry. I expect Astrosat to start touching on [turnover of] seven figures next year.”

Astrosat specialises in Earth observation and satellite communications technology, the latter particularly focused in the Arctic. The firm, which has had what it calls “phenomenal support” from Scottish Enterprise, is working with manufacturers and technologists in Latvia, a centre of the Soviet space programme now left with a residue of specialised expertise.

Lee said: “We exported from the beginning because that’s the nature of space, no such thing as borders. We built our foundations in the Baltic states and by the time we came back to Scotland we found that everyone had heard of us, which allowed us to start working with partners.

“We have now got three divisions and are winning innovation prizes … We’ve come up with scores of ideas, which have led to our securing funding for incubation. We dream of being a cross-industry company, and also a kind of research and development centre for the industry in Scotland working with other good friends outside the company.

“A lot of our business is supporting classic Scottish technology – not only are we designing ships that are spinning around the world, we’re also supporting tidal and wave technology.”

Source

(September 30, 2013) A satellite for natural disaster monitoring was successfully launched into orbit at 12:37 p.m. Wednesday, China’s Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center has announced.

A satellite for natural disaster monitoring was successfully launched into orbit at 12:37 p.m. Wednesday, China’s Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center has announced.

The satellite Kuaizhou I, or speedy vessel I, will be used to monitor natural disasters and provide disaster-relief information for its user, the National Remote Sensing Center of China, a public institution under the Ministry of Science and Technology.

The satellite was carried by a small launch vehicle bearing the same name as the vessel Kuaizhou.

China’s top scientific research institute is in the process of developing five space research satellites, including one for the detection of dark matter particles.

“We expect to launch at least three to four of them before 2015,” said Bai Chunli, president of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) at the first meeting of the academy’s newly founded advisory committee in Beijing Tuesday.

The other four satellites include one for the conduct of quantum science experiments, an X ray telescope, a retrievable scientific study satellite and a solar activity study satellite, Bai said.

Source