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TEHRAN, Oct. 02 (MNA) – ICT minister Mahmoud Vaezi said the final agreement for the construction and launch of the National Remote Sensing Satellite has been signed by the Russian satellite manufacturers.

Iranian Communications and Information Technology Minister, Mahmoud Vaezi, told Mehr News Agency that the country is working on its space projects on two parallel lines, one of which is related to the construction of student satellites inside the country; “we have held talks with universities for the construction of communications as well as remote sensing satellites in Iran, and a number of samples have already been constructed,” he said.

“By the end of the Iranian year (March 2017), we will be ready to launch one of these domestically-manufactured student satellites into space,” he added.

Vaezi stressed that the country is mainly focused on the construction of two operational satellites, adding “at the moment, the final agreement for the construction and launch of the National Remote Sensing Satellite has been signed by the Russian satellite manufacturers.”

“The construction of the two operational satellites is a long-term project and currently, we are in talks with four countries for our communications satellite,” he said.

“France, Russia, China and South Korea have expressed their interest in participating in the project,” Vaezi said. “We will come to a final decision with one of these four countries and execute the construction of National Communications Satellite Project as one of the objectives of the Sixth Development Plan.”

In his recent visit to Moscow, Mahmoud Vaezi met with several Russian government officials and industry executives on space and cyberspace issues, and struck a deal with the Russian side on cooperation with the construction of a remote sensing satellite. 

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The meeting will take place in Limassol, Cyprus , on 16-17 November 2016.

GEO-CRADLE has proactively engaged with the relevant regional stakeholders (data/service providers, decision makers, and SMEs) in a series of consultation activities including surveys, interviews, workshops and bilateral exchanges, in order to identify the regional needs.

After an in-depth analysis of their feedback which was presented in the” GEO-CRADLE meeting in Novisad, Serbia”:http://geocradle.eu//geo-cradle-novi-sad-workshop/, GEO-CRADLE is now going to make a concrete first step through the following 4 pilot/feasibility studies towards addressing the identified gaps and needs in relation to common regional challenges by creating the appropriate ecosystem, building the necessary toolbox, and providing a first tangible outcome:

1) Adaptation to Climate Change (Leader: NOA)

2) Improved Food Security – Water Extremes Management (Leader: IBEC)

3) Access to Raw Material (Leader: EGS)

4) Access to Energy (Leader: PMOD/WRC)

The GEO-CRADLE meeting in Limassol, Cyprus, kindly hosted by the partner Cyprus University of Technology (CUT), will refine the scope of the pilots and conclude with their launch. The objective of the pilot activities is not to develop new science but to build on the integration of existing capacities (infrastructure, datasets, models, etc.) and skills within the relevant group of project partners that are involved towards the provision of improved EO Services in the RoI. The pilots will span a period of 15 months, and the final results will be presented to relevant stakeholders (especially decision makers) in a dedicated workshop.

Register here

Agenda

  • 16 November 2016, 12:00-18:00: Workshop on soil spectral data & water extremes management, access to solar energy and adaptation to climate change
  • 17 November 2016, 09:30-15:30: Project consortium working session on the roadmap and action plan for WP4 in light of WP3 outcomes.

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The European Association of Remote Sensing Companies, EARSC is looking for a Market analyst to join its team.

The European Association of Remote Sensing Companies (EARSC) is a trade association based in Brussels. Whilst remaining a membership focused organisation, EARSC has recently been successfully winning contracts to expand its activities to support the industry which it represents. In consequence we are now seeking a Market Analyst to increase the core team.

About EARSC:

EARSC – the European Association of Remote Sensing Companies – is a non-profit trade association working on behalf of the geospatial information services industry in Europe; in particular the EO services sector which comprises companies generating information using satellite imagery. Established 27 years ago, today, EARSC has over 80 members from throughout Europe and is gaining wide recognition as a key actor in the sector.
Of particular importance is the European Union flagship programme, Copernicus. This is offering new opportunities to the sector to help develop a commercial market and new commercial services. EARSC is playing a key role as interlocutor between the industry and the public stakeholders responsible for driving the Copernicus programme.
As well as a lobbying role, EARSC main effort is focused on helping to open up and develop the market for the products and services which the companies offer. We seek to understand and develop close links with other sectors which are users of these products and services. The Market Analyst will be asked to make a major contribution to this latter task.

The Role:

An understanding of the market for our members’ services is essential for the execution of our tasks. We seek a market analyst who can help us meet this goal. It will be a key role at a key moment where the large increase in availability of EO satellite data as well as technology developments are transforming the way the sector works. The task is very open and will demand initiative and innovative thinking from the candidate as well as tenacity and willingness to adapt. Good interpersonal skills will be an essential to gain the trust of those working with us and in other sectors.
The Market Analyst will work in a small team of people, responsible to the EARSC secretary general. The job will involve conducting case analyses and market studies to understand the economic benefits of the technology and the potential size of specific market sectors. It will require interaction with representatives of other commercial sectors and to establish a good understanding and working relationship.
Working in a small team in an office in Brussels, the job will include a certain amount of travel mainly inside Europe with much activity being focused around Brussels and the European institutions which are strong influencers for our technology and its markets.
EARSC is seeking to help the sector develop new business both inside Europe and globally and, for the right candidate, the role could be extended to include developing export opportunities for the sector.
The position will offer a variety of work and represents an excellent opportunity to gain valuable experience of working with EU bodies from an industry perspective. There is significant possibility to shape the job to suit the skills of the person recruited.

Responsibilities:

The successful candidate will be responsible for:
• Economic research and analysis linked to the EO services industry and technology.
• Developing links with other commercial sectorial groups relevant to the market for EO services.
• Analysis of EU policy for its implications for the EO services industry especially linked to export markets and Copernicus
• Additional responsibilities may be conferred ie towards export market opportunities.

Qualifications:

• A relevant university degree plus several years of experience.
• A background in market development or communications
• Knowledge of EO services especially from a user perspective
• Some economics knowledge would be an advantage
• Excellent level of English both spoken and written. Other languages are an advantage.

Further qualities:

• Evidence of creative thinking and innovation; ability to take initiatives.
• An ability to network and build good working relationships.
• Ability to perform research tasks using both Internet tools and other direct methods.
• Excellent knowledge of the use of Excel for analytic purposes and Microsoft Office in general

Candidates are invited to submit their CV together with a letter of motivation to EARSC at secreatriat(at)earsc.org, cc projects(at)earsc.org with the subject line [EARSC Job] Market Analyst position (Candidate Name ).

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As many of you will know we are studying the possible conditions for establishing a Marketplace Alliance for EO Services (MAEOS).

We have just about reached the half-way stage of the work. We have held an extensive consultation with the stakeholders and mapped this to possible functions and architecture. The results are looking good and have helped enormously to clarify the complex landscape in which we are working. We presented the outcome to the EARSC board last Tuesday.

The bottom line, I am delighted to report, is that the EARSC board has decided that they should move immediately towards establishing an EOMall which would be a completely separate legal entity to EARSC. The EOMall would operate a marketplace on behalf of those companies which choose to join and invest in the venture. At the same time, EARSC will define possible conditions for companies working together under a lighter structure which will be the MAEOS

The result is that every company will have a choice whether to join the close collaboration in the EOMall, work in a lighter co-operation under EARSC/MAEOS or stay outside both and operate independently. All companies will be able to remain in the EARSC network and benefit from the lobbying and information activities but those seeking closer co-operation will receive additional benefits.

We shall complete the MAEOS study early next year and plan a meeting in January to present the packages to industry in order that they can start to take decisions on the level of co-operation each one wishes to engage in. In the meantime, the interim results, including those from the stakeholder consultation analysis, will be presented on 25th October in Frascati. For more information please go here

Geoff´s Blog

Eurosense presented its practical approach to detect and validate oil spills at the sea surface. The first successful test and evaluation of an airborne radar system dates back to 1983. Nowadays, Sentinel-1 and 2 images are used to map oil spills with a very high level of confidence.

Reducing the risk of oil spill disasters is essential for protecting the environment and reducing economic losses. Oil spill surveillance constitutes an important component of oil spill disaster management. Advances in remote sensing technologies can help to identify parties potentially responsible for pollution and to identify minor spills before they cause widespread damage.

Since 1983, Eurosense is elaborating and is continuously improving approaches and methodologies for oil spill surveillance. The fundamental principle consists in multi-data sensors fusion (optical, NIR, and radar) acquired at different scales (in-situ, airborne, spaceborne). The combination of geocoded data into a common spatial framework allows an easy cross-checking based on different physical mechanisms in the radio and optical windows of the electromagnetic spectrum. Practical experiences have been gained through projects related to refloating wrecks (e.g. Herald of Free Enterprise, 1987) and dredging.

Since the early 1990s, radar antennas onboard satellites have largely demonstrated their capabilities to map efficiently oil spills. In 2012, experiments have shown the possibilities to identify different types of oils based on full polarimetric analysis. However, the revisit time and the cost of the images have always been limiting factors. With the launch of the Copernicus program in October 2014 (delivery of the first image), a “game changer” appeared. Sentinel 1 a/b and Sentinel 2 are able to provide valuable information owing to their free availability, imaging capabilities, and their short revisit period over a same area. This has been demonstrated and illustrated in the presentation done on Thursday 29th September at the “Black Sea from Space Workshop”: SAR-Based Tools for Organic Pollutions Detection and Analysis.

Source Eurosense

The PerúSAT-1 satellite, designed and built by Airbus Defence and Space, the world’s second largest space company, has delivered its first images after its successful launch on 16 September from Kourou.


“We constructed PerúSAT-1 in a record time of less than 24 months and now, after having completed the orbital maneuvers to reach its operational orbit at an altitude of 695 km, it has delivered its first image for the Peruvian Space Agency (CONIDA). I would like to thank all the teams for their efforts in achieving this latest milestone,” said Nicolas Chamussy, Head of Space Systems.

Airbus Defence and Space is the world’s leading exporter of Earth observation satellites, and PerúSAT-1 is based on the highly flexible, compact AstroBus-S platform featuring a state-of-the-art silicon carbide optical instrument system with 70 cm resolution. It will collect images for use in agriculture, urban planning, border control and drug trafficking, and will support the management of humanitarian aid and the evaluation of natural disasters, among other applications.

From now until the end of the year, exhaustive in-orbit tests will be carried out from the CNOIS control centre (Centro Nacional de Operaciones de Imágenes Satelitales) built by Airbus Defence and Space, in Pucusana, south of Lima to ensure that all subsystems are operating properly. PerúSAT-1 satellite system will then be commissioned and handed over to the fully trained Peruvian engineers and technicians of the customer CONIDA.

Constructed in a record time of less than 24 months, PerúSAT-1 is currently the most powerful Earth observation satellite in the Latin American region. The result of a bilateral agreement between Peru and France, PerúSAT-1 gives Peru a sovereign capability and will play a key role in bringing the benefits of space to its society.

About Airbus Defence and Space

Airbus Defence and Space, a division of Airbus Group, is Europe’s number one defence and space enterprise and the second largest space business worldwide. Its activities include space, military aircraft and related systems and services. It employs more than 38,000 people and in 2015 generated revenues of over 13 billion Euros.

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The new three-dimensional map of Earth has been completed. Mountain peaks and valley floors across the globe can now be seen with an accuracy of just one metre. The global elevation model was created as part of the TanDEM-X satellite mission; it offers unprecedented accuracy compared with other global datasets and is based on a uniform database. The approximately 150 million square kilometres of land surface were scanned from space by radar sensors. “TanDEM-X has opened up a whole new chapter in the field of remote sensing. The use of radar technology based on two satellites orbiting in close formation is still unique and was key to the high-precision remapping of Earth. In this way, DLR has demonstrated its pioneering role and satisfied the prerequisites for the next major development step in satellite-based Earth observation – the Tandem-L radar mission,” says Pascale Ehrenfreund, Chair of the Executive Board of the German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt; DLR).

More than 1000 scientists around the world are already making use of the data from the mission. “With completion of the global TanDEM-X elevation model, we are once again anticipating a surge in scientific interest. Accurate topographical data is essential for all geoscientific applications,” says Alberto Moreira, Principal Investigator of the TanDEM-X mission and Director of the DLR Microwaves and Radar Institute. The applications for this unique dataset range from climate and environmental research, surveying and mapping to infrastructure planning for urban development and road construction.

Expectations exceeded

The quality of the global elevation model has surpassed all expectations. Exceeding the required 10-metre accuracy, the topographic map has an elevation accuracy of a single metre. This is a result of excellent system calibration. The distance between the two satellites in formation flight, for example, is determined with millimetre precision. The global coverage achieved by TanDEM-X is also unparalleled – all land surfaces were scanned multiple times and the data was then processed to create elevation models. In this process, DLR’s remote sensing specialists created a digital world map consisting of more than 450,000 individual models with pixel by pixel height detail – creating a special kind of three-dimensional mosaic.

This mission broke new ground in many areas. The close formation flight of the two satellites at a minimum distance of 120 metres has become as routine as the various manoeuvres required to continuously change the formation and adapt it to the requirements of the imaging geometry. A similar situation applies to bistatic radar operation; simultaneous data acquisition using two radar satellites was initially a major challenge, but was a necessity to ensure the high accuracy of the elevation models. DLR is now a world leader for this pioneering technology.

Between January 2010 and December 2015, the radar satellites transmitted more than 500 terabytes of data to Earth via the worldwide reception network. In parallel, systematic creation of elevation models began in 2014. Sophisticated processing chains analysed the data using highly accurate and efficient algorithms to generate the final elevation models. During this process, the data volume increased to a total of more than 2.6 petabytes and the computer systems constantly delivered top performance. “Processing this data was an exciting challenge for us,” explains Richard Bamler, Director of DLR’s Remote Sensing Technology Institute. “We are now all the more fascinated by our initial scientific findings. Using the current elevation model, we have shown that in some regions of Earth, glaciers are losing up to 30 metres in thickness per year in the area of the glacier tongues.”

Next steps

TerraSAR-X and TanDEM-X have long exceeded their specified service lives and continue operating faultlessly and in such an efficient way that they still have enough propellant for several more years. Completion of the 3D world map does not signify the end of the mission. Due to the special nature of the formation flight, further scientific experiments are scheduled. Moreira points out: “Earth as a system is highly dynamic, which is also reflected in its topography. Through frequent updates, we could capture such dynamic processes systematically in the future. This is the primary goal of the Tandem-L mission that we have proposed.”

New Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) methods will enable diverse data for exploration of the global ecosystem to be provided within short periods of time. The Tandem-L successor mission could provide a current elevation image of Earth’s entire landmass every eight days and thereby capture dynamic processes in a timely manner. This would also make it possible to contribute to the review of international climate and environmental agreements. New radar methods and innovative missions such as Tandem-L are set to contribute to gaining a better understanding of dynamic processes in order to protect and preserve Earth Completion of the TanDEM-X global elevation model has now paved the way for the next dimension of radar remote sensing.

About the mission

TanDEM-X is being implemented on behalf of DLR using funds from the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (Bundesministerium für Wirtschaft und Energie). It is a Public Private Partnership (PPP) project operated in conjunction with Airbus Defence and Space. DLR is responsible for providing TanDEM-X data to the scientific community, mission planning and implementation, radar operation and calibration, control of the two satellites, and generation of the digital elevation model. To this end, DLR has developed the necessary ground-based facilities. The DLR Microwaves and Radar Institute, the DLR Earth Observation Center and the DLR Space Operations Facility in Oberpfaffenhofen are participating in the development and operation of the ground segment of TerraSAR-X and TanDEM-X. Scientific coordination is the responsibility of the DLR Microwaves and Radar Institute. Airbus Defence and Space built the satellites and is sharing the development and operating costs. The company is also responsible for the commercial marketing of the TanDEM-X data.

DLR

Vancouver, BC – MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates Ltd. (“MDA” or the “Company”) (TSX: MDA), a global communications and information company, today announced that the Department of National Defence (DND) has exercised an option for a contract announced in June 2016. MDA will provide advanced space-based Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) capabilities for the DND Polar Epsilon 2 (PE2) project; a broad-area maritime surveillance system using the Government of Canada’s RADARSAT Constellation Mission (RCM). The option is valued at CA$15 million (including taxes).

The PE2 ground systems will include ground segment systems with the capability to receive and utilize information from the RCM SAR satellites, currently being built by MDA for the Canadian Space Agency. PE2 will provide the DND with daily maritime information over millions of square kilometers from SAR imagery, all within minutes of imaging.

About MDA

MDA is a global communications and information company providing operational solutions to commercial and government organizations worldwide.

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(6 October 2016) In an era of profound digital transformation, business leaders and IT experts are convening at ESA’s mission control in Darmstadt, Germany, today for the first SAP Digital Leaders’ Summit.

Under the theme “Gain the competitive edge in a disruptive world”, the summit provides an opportunity for European chief executive officers and future digital leaders to exchange ideas on next-generation business and technology landscapes.

Topics including strategy in the digital age and how outer space impacts digital society, politics and economy are being addressed.

In February, SAP and ESA signed a letter of intent to develop innovative approaches for the quick and efficient processing of large amounts of Earth observation data through access to real-time platforms.

The amount of data from ESA satellites including the Sentinels for Europe’s Copernicus programme – controlled by teams at the European Space Operations Centre where today’s event is being held– is a challenge for traditional data processing and handling.

Through the SAP HANA Cloud Platform, quick and efficient processing of vast amounts of Earth observation data is possible, and opens access to many new applications and users working with the SAP cloud solutions.

Driven by the SAP Center for Digital Leadership, SAP intends to develop further solutions and technologies based on elastic cloud-platforms such as SAP HANA Spatial and Earth observation data from ESA. The results are planned to become reality in new services, showcase, and new fields of applications for SAP and ESA customers. Entrepreneurs, partners and SAP customers around the world will be able to build their businesses on top of SAP technology while leveraging geospatial information.

Today’s summit is an important step in the ESA–SAP collaboration, which also foresees joint promotional activities for start-up companies and small- and medium-sized enterprises. A session will be devoted to digital start-up innovation, where winners from ESA’s App Camps and the Copernicus Masters will present their ideas, together with teams from the SAP HANA Startup Focus Programme.

“More and more applications will be platform-based in the future. To reach the users it is important that data providers and platform operators join forces. This is the idea behind the strategic partnership between ESA and SAP,” said Volker Liebig, former Director of ESA’s Earth Observation Programmes.

“From the ESA side, we bring the vast amount of information coming from ESA’s scientific satellite missions as well as the data delivered by the European Copernicus satellites. Together with SAP we expect to gain access to new user groups and pave the way for new satellite-based applications.”

Dr Carsten Linz, Business Development Officer and Global Head of SAP’s Center for Digital Leadership, said: “Smart data is the new golden nugget in the digital age. However, data alone is not knowledge. Platform-based innovation makes it easier than ever to create a winning digital strategy where data-driven insight and action are true, smart assets.

“Today’s summit demonstrates concrete digital innovation showcases from the SAP-ESA partnership as well as joint achievements in building a digital space ecosystem with start-up companies.

“The combination of the SAP HANA Spatial platform with ESA’s geospatial information opens a bright future for space-related applications, such as smart farming and smart cities which bring businesses the competitive edge and improve peoples’ lives.”

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(7 October 2016, By Nigar Abbasova at ww.azernews.az) Azerbaijan and Turkey, the two neighboring countries and strategic partners, enjoy opportunities to strengthen their cooperation in the sphere of satellite industry.

Turkish Minister of Transport, Maritime and Communications Ahmet Arslan told Trend that Turkey is ready to produce low-orbit (LEO) and gestational (GEO) satellites for Azerbaijan, as soon as the operating time of Azersky and Azerspace-1 spacecrafts expires.

Arslan said that the Center of Testing and Integration of Space-Based Systems (USET) operates under the state-owned Turkish Aerospace Industry (TAI). The centre, which is considered as the first satellite test facility of Turkey and one of the world’s outstanding facilities, allows to assemble and test various types of satellites.

“Work on the creation of the first indigenous satellite is currently underway in the centre. In this regard, USET experts can assemble communication satellites and spacecrafts for exploring the Earth for Azerbaijan,” he said.

Turkey’s first indigenous satellite Türksat 6A, manufactured in USET, is slated for completion by 2019. Türksat is one of the world’s top 20 satellite operators and its goal is to become one of the world’s top-10 countries with implementation of 10 satellites by 2023.

Moreover, the minister added that Turkey is also ready to provide Azerbaijan with resources of its Göktürk-2, which is Turkey’s first high-resolution remote sensing earth observation satellite.

He mentioned that it is also possible to exchange resources and expand the coverage of the Turkish satellite geolocation system on the territory of Azerbaijan.

Arslan also suggested cooperation between universities of the two countries on designing of CanSat mini satellites.

Azercosmos, Science Development Fund under the President of Azerbaijan and TÜBITAK UZAY (Space Technologies Research Institute) of Turkey signed a memorandum of mutual understanding on cooperation in the space industry in 2015.

The document envisages exchange experience in the sphere of space technologies, conduction of joint research, use benefits of satellite telecommunication systems, as well as study of the Earth’s surface and the construction of new generation telecommunication systems.

Azerbaijan entered the space club with the launch of its first satellite Azerspace-1 in February 2013. By now, the country has three satellites, a telecommunication and two low orbit satellites, and it plans to launch a second telecommunication satellite in 2017.

Azerspace-1, the first-ever satellite of Azerbaijan, as well as AzerSky high-resolution low-orbit Earth observation satellite are at disposal of Azercosmos, the only satellite operator in the Caucasus.

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