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The book ‘Spacecraft Dynamics and Control: The Embedded Model Control Approach’ provides a uniform and hands-on approach to space engineering control problems. Published in March 2018, it introduces the Embedded Model Control methodology for the design and implementation of attitude and orbit control systems.

Interview with Luca Massotti, Spacecraft Design Engineer and book co-author, about the book and its contributions to the scientific conversation.

Luca Massotti received the Laurea degree in Aerospace Engineering from the Politecnico di Torino (Turin, I), in 2000, and the Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering from the Aeronautical and Space Department of the Politecnico di Torino (Turin, I), in 2004. He is currently a consultant at the European Space Agency’s Earth Observation Programmes Directorate – Future Missions division, where he has worked since 2007. He is the author of co-author of more than 80 scientific publications in international journals, conference proceedings and articles on books.

How does the book contribute to this scientific conversation?

The idea is to give a holistic view of not-so-typical scientific mission design for Earth Observation. The book starts with an extensive introduction to algebra fundamentals and kinematics to later address the state-space dynamics and the EMC approach.

To do so, we define the uncertainties and their classification, the definition of the model errors, with typical design of noise estimators and the state predictors, and – of course – with examples of control laws. All of this accompanied with chapters covering the modelling of the environmental disturbances, orbital mechanics and control, attitude determination problems, and a state-of-art overview on sensors and actuators, from their mathematical formalism to commonly used products.

How do you think researchers and practitioners can benefit from this book in their daily practice?

The book provides a comprehensive view of a challenging space mission design. The existent literature focused mostly on the control theory. It misses a link with the day-by-day work of a space engineer. Our book includes numerous exercises throughout the different chapters for better understanding, training, and hands-on application.

How was your experience writing this book?

It was an exciting experience. The project started in Fall 2016, and since we have dedicated many nights and weekends to writing and reviewing the manuscript. Luckily Prof. Enrico Canuto, the book captain, is a very experienced professor who could guide us through all the steps, also putting the right pressure.

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Rezatec, the leading provider of geospatial data analytics to the Forestry sector, today announced that it is to provide its forestry attribute data products to the BC Oil and Gas Research and Innovation Society (BC OGRIS), the not-for-profit society enabling research to inform environmental matters related to oil and gas exploration and development in British Columbia.

In the area of interest, there is an extensive history of anthropogenic disturbance, particularly from oil & gas and forestry activities. Knowledge of the state of vegetation regrowth on features such as seismic lines, abandoned pipeline corridors, roads and well pads is required to prioritise restoration treatments where the rate of regeneration is currently insufficient.

Working closely with local partner Forsite, a leading provider of forest management services to government and industry in Canada, Rezatec will map the estimated tree height and density of canopy cover across a vast study area of over 80,000 km2. The resulting map will cover all anthropogenic features of interest and also the surrounding forest to provide a comparative reference of regeneration status. Existing methods to estimate regrowth in this area have provided only a coarse classification of regeneration status; the Rezatec approach will provide greater detail while also establishing a repeatable method that can be used to refresh the inventory in future years.

Rezatec algorithms process optical and radar satellite data with ground-based sensor data to deliver predictive and dynamic monitoring analysis to its customers. Access to data is provided via an annual subscription model and Rezatec’s automated and scalable products deliver substantial payback for customers across areas of interest that range in size from a square mile to millions of acres.

A BG OGRIS spokesperson said, “The joint industry-BC government research team funded by BC OGRIS are keen to utilize the latest in satellite derived intelligence to understand the state of vegetation recovery on disturbed sites in northern BC. This technology has the potential to focus our restoration efforts and ensure investments achieve maximum benefit to caribou habitat.”

Cameron Brown, Strategic Planning Forester & Team Leader at Forsite commented: “Forsite is really excited about the innovative capabilities that satellite data can now provide to the forestry sector and with Rezatec as our partner, we can enable our clients to be more productive, more efficient and more profitable.”

“Rezatec is now the world’s number one provider of geospatial data analytics to the forestry sector and our expansion into Canada continues to support our growth and industry proven tools”, stated Tim Vallings, Vice President of Global Resources, at Rezatec.

In the forestry sector, Rezatec also provides geospatial data services for species identification mapping, mensuration and forest inventory management, forest health monitoring and wind blow mapping. Rezatec users also include major utilities, agribusinesses, large forestry groups, consulting partners and governments worldwide.

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Geospatial Insight and Deimos Space UK have been granted funding from the European Space Agency (ESA Business Applications) to further develop RetailWatch, with an initial focus on the European market. The project is part of the European Space Agency’s (ESA) business applications programme, which is dedicated to the development of applications and services using different space assets, including satellite imagery.

RetailWatch will monitor the number of cars in the car parks of selected retail outlets to estimate footfall, in an effort to predict the financial performance of retailers. The RetailWatch project uses high resolution satellite imagery and artificial intelligence techniques to provide an additional service to retail companies in a competitive market. RetailWatch will provide investors in retail stocks with an early indicator of equity performance before the publication of retailer’s quarterly reports.

The project will draw upon Geospatial Insight’s vast knowledge of satellite imagery, innovative machine-learning capabilities and experience within the financial markets. Couple this with Deimos Space UK’s new machine-learning approaches to feature classification of high resolution satellite imagery, and a formidable partnership is formed.

Dave Fox, CEO of Geospatial Insight comments:
“We’re looking forward to strengthening our relationship with the Deimos Space UK team by collaborating on RetailWatch. The awarding of funding by the ESA for this project demonstrates their commitment to investing in satellite technology and machine-learning both in Europe and globally.”

Michael Lawrence, Business Development Director of Deimos Space UK added:
“We’re excited to be working alongside the Geospatial Insight team in developing RetailWatch. This represents a fantastic opportunity to use our machine learning capability to provide an extra analytical dimension to the world of retail.”

Since 2007, UK space companies have grown at an average rate of 10% a year, with employment also growing 15% year on year (1). The launch of RetailWatch opens up another avenue of commercial opportunity within this industry and represents an opportunity for various stakeholders (such as hedge fund managers, commodity traders and retailers) to gain a detailed insight into retail performance.

Key to the RetailWatch project is the use of machine-learning algorithms developed by both Deimos Space UK and Geospatial Insight to automate the car counting process. As a service global machine learning had an estimated worth of US$1.07 billion in 2016, rising to US$19.86 billion by the end of 2025 (2). RetailWatch seeks to marry together two flourishing sectors; space and machine learning, to provide a unique insight into the retail sector.
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Deimos Imaging and UrtheCast have been awarded a GSA Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) 070 contract by the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA), the procurement arm of the federal government.

This is the first time that a European company in Earth observation services has been awarded such a contract in the U.S., making Deimos Imaging’s full portfolio of products and services available to all U.S. government agencies.

In order to be awarded the GSA Schedule contract, Deimos Imaging and UrtheCast had to undergo an extensive and rigorous approval process and ensure its services are in compliance with all applicable laws and regulations.

What is the GSA?
The GSA is an independent agency of the U.S. government established in 1949 to help manage and support the basic functioning of federal agencies.

The GSA provides millions of commercial products and services to government agencies that benefit from “most-favored customer” pricing with pre-approved vendors. This is designed to help U.S. agencies to source products and services and comply with rules and regulations for buying.

The five-year GSA program establishes long-term government-wide contracts and allows federal customers to efficiently purchase Earth Observation products and services from Deimos Imaging under GSA IT Schedule 70, Special Item Number 132-41.

What does Deimos Imaging offer?
As a recipient of the contract, Deimos Imaging can provide federal, state, local, tribal, and regional government agencies with customized and ready-to-use satellite imagery products and services, that are expected to contribute to decision making in a wide range of sectors, such as agriculture, oil and gas, maritime surveillance and defense and security.

“We are very pleased to have received a GSA contract because it empowers our data strategy to unlock Earth Observation’s full potential,” said Jamie Ritchie, Chief Commercial Officer at Deimos Imaging. “Deimos Imaging has enjoyed a long, successful history of providing satellite products and services to public and private entities. Being part of the GSA schedule program allows our portfolio to be accessible to agencies across the U.S. and leverages our position to accelerate decision making in a wide variety of fields and to meet the needs of our customers there.”

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gis and geography are becoming increasingly important not only in the geosector or in clearly geo-related business, but also in a variety of different fields. more and more companies in the maritime, logistics, insurance, risk management or agricultural sector are recognizing the potential of geodata and the insights derived from it.

The preponderance of emerging insights, increasingly advanced electro-optical sensors and development of highly sophisticated geospatial solutions have instilled an increasingly ubiquitous demand for accessible geospatial intelligence (geoint) technologies heretofore the purview of highly specialized geographic information systems and remotely sensed imagery professionals alone. consequently, this ever-increasing demand for big geo data and its analytics requires a more widespread comprehension of formerly esoteric geospatial concepts and the adoption of at least some technical knowledge in geospatial software and the interpretation of insights derived from it. however, compared to other specialist areas, there has been a widening gap in knowledge and corresponding training courses available in the fields of gis, rsi, and earth observation in general. that is, until now.

As your trusted geo-services guide, cloudeo is teaming up with our partners at geo university to provide a seamless online training platform offering high quality online courses taught by formally educated and highly experienced geo-professional experts, with access to an ever-expanding catalogue of geoint data, software, and solutions available on the cloudeo geomarketplace.
Courses vary from simple note collections and books for people with constrained schedules wishing to study at their own pace, to comprehensive lectures complete with structured exercises, quizzes and more.

furthermore, courses are tailored for students, scientists, or decision makers alike seeking either an introduction to geoint and the latest earth observation technologies or to further enhance their existing knowledge in the following topics:
• geographical information system (gis)
• webgis
• remote sensing/earth observation
• photogrammetry

cloudeo’s mission has always been to empower our customers and help navigate a path of least resistance in leveraging the latest advancements in spatiotemporally enabled geospatial data, software, and insights with customizable and flexible solutions to match their needs. the cloudeo workbench gives you pay-per-use access to a powerful virtual desktop pre-configured for geoprocessing. this enables our users to focus on what is most important to them: their geoprocessing. costly scaling of complex geoprocessing tasks is ameliorated by eliminating the need for customers to invest in new or complicated it infrastructure and permanent software licenses. this makes working with envi, snap, python, etc., extremely convenient. cloudeo‘s readily available workbench environments come pre-installed with the latest software; automatically updated whenever there is a new version available, with regular backups of the workbench being performed for maximum security and availability.

we offer the workbench on a monthly subscription basis, which makes it the perfect complement to the geo university courses; granting instant access to a fully featured geospatial software solutions environment ideal for hands-on training, labs, practice exercises, and ad-hoc analytics experimentation. users can immediately put what they have learned into practice without the need to contend with the time-consuming minutia and expense of hardware, software, and long-term license subscription management.

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Airborne Technologies is proud to have obtained FIKI certification from EASA for the Vulcanair P68R.The aircraft type is thus approved for “Flights Into Known Icing” conditions.

The complex modification of the basic aircraft with all redundant systems included a test flight programme with dry ice shapes, as well as natural ice flights in northern Scotland, to prove the de-ice capacity under most adverse conditions. All modifications for the special mission equipment such as EO/IR gimbal and the whole array of antennas for tactical radio and down/up-link, are covered by this STC as well. With this FIKI capability for a 2t-class aircraft, Airborne Technologies sets new standards with regard to dispatch reliability and safety of the customers.

Wolfgang Grumeth, CEO of Airborne Technologies, says: “The integration of special equipment into the different platforms goes meanwhile far beyond the simple installation of sensors. The complexity of systems and customer requirements makes it increasingly necessary to intervene in all areas. We are taking over more and more modifications previously assigned to OEMs. Besides FIKI we have recently certified TCAS II and P-RNAV/SBAS.

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ESA and GAF agreed the continuation of the data acquisition from the Ocean Colour Monitor (OCM) aboard the Oceansat-2 Indian remote sensing (IRS) satellite until 31‑Mar‑2019. Part of the agreement is also an option to extend the operations up to 31‑Mar‑2020.

Level 1C products of Oceansat-2 OCM data acquired on 8th and 9th April 2018

Since the start of the operational acquisitions on 1st January 2016, OCM data from all the satellite passes within the five degree visibility cone of the Neustrelitz ground station have been acquired, processed to create system corrected image products and geo-physical parameter products, and delivered to ESA in near real time (NRT) to subsequently further promote scientific research and applications. Thanks to the wide swath of the OCM, Europe and the surrounding waters are covered every two days.

After registration, the data can be accessed free of charge through ESA’s Third Party Missions dissemination service. See also ESA’s Earth Online.

GAF’s sub-contractor, the German Aerospace Agency (DLR), provides GAF with the satellite data reception service at its ground station in Neustrelitz.

The Oceansat-2 activities in Neustrelitz are funded by and carried out under the Earthnet programme and its Third Party Mission activities of the European Space Agency.

The views expressed herein can in no way be taken to reflect the official opinion of the European Space Agency.

‘New Space’ pioneer Earth-i today released the first video taken by VividX2, the technology prototype for its Vivid-i constellation

Launched on 12 January 2018, VividX2 is the world’s first commercial satellite able to provide full-colour video of life on earth.

Weighing 100kg and measuring approximately 1 cubic metre, VividX2 is orbiting at 505km above the Earth and travelling at approximately 7km per second.

At the heart of the satellite is an Ultra High Definition (UHD) camera that captures high-resolution images for any location on Earth – and also films up to two minutes of video at a time as it passes over each target location.

The newly released video footage was taken as VividX2 passed over a range of targeted locations under its sun-synchronous polar orbit. The clips show videos of numerous different locations across the globe, and some of the intriguing new insights that can be quickly derived from the video.

These first sequences represent just a fraction of the data already collected by VividX2 and demonstrate Earth-i’s ability to deliver an unprecedented level of detail in full motion video, whilst also extracting still imagery to meet an ever-wider range of needs.

The new videos and still images can be found here.

Richard Blain, CEO of Earth-i, said: “Commercial colour video from space represents a major breakthrough for our industry and a world first. This initial footage shows what is now possible – with more videos being acquired every day. The depth and quality of data we can now acquire takes Earth Observation-based big data analytics to a new level. The way we capture video allows for a broader range of contextual insights to be derived than is possible with traditional still imagery.

Furthermore, processing techniques such as image stacking, can be applied to high frame rate video to increase effective resolution to levels as good as 60cm for still and video imagery. With the rich data we are now getting from VividX2, we are improving and developing advanced data analytics, new capabilities and insights from intelligent platforms, including the use of computer vision and machine learning.”

Earth-i is at the forefront of an era known as New Space which is being driven by commercial and Governmental organisations that want to use high-quality, timely images and video from space to improve investment and trading decisions, monitor and track their assets more cost-effectively, track changes or activities in critical locations, and predict future events with more certainty.

Welcoming the news, Graham Turnock, Chief Executive of the UK Space Agency said: “The UK has a long history of innovation and is now demonstrating the world’s first commercial satellite that can capture full colour video of Earth from space. With applications ranging from defence to disaster response, it is a great example of the strength of the UK space sector which we continue to support as part of the Government’s Industrial Strategy.”

Earth-i is showcasing the first colour videos from VividX2, and demonstrating potential applications, at the 34th Space Symposium in Colorado Springs on 16-19 April, and at the GEOINT geospatial intelligence exhibition in Tampa on 23-25 April. Visitors to these major industry events will be able to discuss Earth-i’s range of innovative new capabilities including:

o The provision of high definition images and colour video with resolutions better than one meter for any location on Earth.

o The ability to capture and analyse moving objects such as vehicles, vessels and aircraft in Ultra High Definition colour video.

o Revisiting the same location multiple times per day with agile satellites that can be pointed to image specific areas of interest and acquire high-frame rate imagery.

o Rapid tasking of satellites to take images or video, and fast data download within minutes of acquisition.

o Delivering additional contextual depth of information from motion and time – the 4th dimension.
The current VividX2 mission is the product of a unique collaboration between Earth-i, the Ministry of Defence, Defence Science and Technology Laboratories (DSTL) and Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd (SSTL), all of the UK.

“Successful acquisition of the satellite’s first colour video from space is a pivotal moment in the development and deployment of this new technology, and work has already begun on the manufacture of the next batch of five production satellites for Earth-i’s Vivid-i constellation whilst they develop new applications from a stream of video data from VividX2,” said Sarah Parker, Managing Director of SSTL.

Earth-i is also investing heavily in its big data analytics systems to enable easy acquisition and analysis of imagery, and the use of advanced algorithms and machine learning to extract further value from the unique data gathered by its constellation.

See the video

GAF currently completed an ESA funded project to support the African Mineral Geoscience Initiative (AMGI). The World Bank initiated AMGI Project is a pan-African initiative for the collection, consolidation, interpretation and effective dissemination of national and regional geological, geochemical, geophysical and mineral resource data through a geo-portal. It intends to develop a complete Geological Data Catalogue for entire Africa in relation to mineral resources.

Combination Sentinel 2 / Geological map:On the left side: Sentinel-2 principal component analyses shows a hydrothermal altered basement outcrop covered by sand sheets. The Geological map on the right side is highlighting the dyke swarm (black lines) cutting the basement (pink) and covered by Ordovician sediments (green and dark brown).

One objective of this project was to test new public available Sentinel data and other satellite data (optical, radar and DEM) to produce improved geological maps in various climate zones and geologic settings; the envisaged scale was 1 : 50.000 and 1 : 25.000.

In this frame, GAF developed also automatized workflows for hydrothermal mineral mapping and standardized attribution schemes based on Sentinel and other satellite data in the four demonstration areas. The satellite-derived maps are integrated in a common database with geo-scientific ancillary data for a synoptic interpretation.

Excellent results were obtained in arid to semi-arid areas while tropical areas remain a challenge for geological interpretation of optical sensors due to the strong vegetation cover. In these areas the geological interpretation based mainly on Radar and DEM data and thus the interpretation is predominantly focused on structural interpretation.

This project successfully demonstrates on how to map large areas in a fast, efficient and area wide mode. The approach is of particular interest for regional geological surveys as well as for mineral exploration. The results will fuel the geological information catalogue for Africa and provide an important input to AMGI, which seeks the improved information access for governments, mineral stakeholders, and more generally for planners and natural resource managers – thus becoming an enabler for future investments in Africa. The project is funded by the European Space Agency (ESA).

Task Team Leader of the AMGI Project Francisco Igualada concluded: “In the context of the AMGI project, satellite Earth Observation (EO) data and derived products have been identified as one of the major source of information especially for newly/improved geological mapping. The results of the project successfully demonstrated that satellite imagery combined with existing geo- scientific data of geophysical nature is a fast, effective and efficient mode to support the interpretation and final production of geological maps in all scales that are relevant for mineral exploration – from low scale reconnaissance mapping to a detailed survey”.

The Copernicus Data Warehouse is now offering eligible users the ability to order 40 cm satellite imagery in remarkably quick time frames, thanks to a 24 hour service exclusively available from European Space Imaging and its partner DigitalGlobe.

On March 16, the European Space Agency released an updated version of the Copernicus Data Access Portfolio offering 40 cm imagery from the WorldView-3, WorldView-2, and GeoEye-1 satellite missions. This is the highest resolution imagery ever offered to Copernicus users who are eligible to order rush image tasking through the service. These users include the the Copernicus Emergency Management Service and the European organisations operating the Copernicus Security Service: FRONTEX, the European Union Satellite Centre, and the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA).

“Very high resolution imagery provides the backbone of the Copernicus Security Service,” says Henning Götz, Copernicus Project Manager at European Space Imaging. “Seeing more of what is actually happening on the ground, or at sea, is vital for improving the situational awareness of any agency tasked with responding to security threats or emergencies.”

The 40 cm resolution data is available for both standard orders and time-critical rush orders. On average, imagery ordered from the archive in the rush mode takes less than 2 hours to be delivered, and new image collections less than 3 hours, enabling agencies to respond to critical situations in a timely manner.

“We are proud to be the only European provider capable of delivering imagery at this resolution and within these timeframes,” says Adrian Zevenbergen, Managing Director of European Space Imaging. “Seeing anywhere on Earth at 40 cm resolution is a real boost to the operational ability of many European organisations, and enables them to take a comprehensive and informed approach.”

The Copernicus Earth Observation and Monitoring Programme took almost 20 years to transition from a research project into a fully operational service. The vision for it was outlined in Baveno, Italy in 1998, and was only truly realised when the Copernicus service for Security applications became fully operational less than one year ago. It will henceforth provide reliable access to timely and high quality earth observation data.

“The biggest benefit of 40 cm data is that decision makers are able to see remote and hard-to-access areas in even more detail,” says Henning Götz. “This enables them to plan evacuation routes, identify temporary settlements in need of aid, monitor the movements of people and maritime traffic, and the progress of infrastructure projects. In short, the Copernicus Programme helps to ensure the safety and security of people on the ground and the sea, no matter where in the world they are.”