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Additional contract with ESA for Sentinels DFEPs & Next generation telemetry receiver for the 26 GHz band to ESA


Kongsberg Spacetec has signed the first additional contract with ESA – European Space Agency – for the delivery of the first four Sentinels Demodulation and Front-End Processing System (DFEPs) to the Sentinels Core Ground Stations.

Kongsberg Spacetec has signed a contract with ESA to develop a telemetry receiver for the 26 GHz band. The receiver will represent the ground part of ESA’s technology development to support data downlinks in this frequency band for future LEO (Low Earth Orbit) and geostationary missions.

Berlin, Germany, September 18, 2013 – RapidEye, a global leader in high-resolution wide-area satellite coverage is proud to announce their contribution to Esri’s ArcGIS online platform. Users will now have access to RapidEye’s newly launched premium content services including RapidEye Mosaics, RapidEye Living Image Multispectral, and RapidEye Living Image Basemaps.

These products are now available through the user-friendly ArcGIS Marketplace which makes finding and buying premium content more convenient than ever before. The announcement of RapidEye’s inclusion as an early adopter in the program was made by Esri’s President Jack Dangermond during the 2013 Esri User Conference plenary address in July, but is ready to go-live with its full range of features for US and Canadian customers.

“RapidEye has unparalleled capabilities for rapid revisit imaging and wide-area swath coverage with excellent ground sample resolution. In addition, the extensive RapidEye archive can now be leveraged through Premium Content Services and can be easily accessed by ArcGIS Online users” said Lawrie Jordan, Esri’s Director of Imagery.

“RapidEye will have added 5 billion square kilometers of imagery to its archive by January 2014 and is very pleased to make this wealth of content available to the Esri user community through the ArcGIS Marketplace”, said Ryan Johnson, CEO of RapidEye.

RapidEye’s premium content will be available from September 18th for Esri users in the United States and Canada with an ArcGIS Online annual subscription. RapidEye Living Image content will provide consistently updated five meter multispectral and basemap (three-band, true color) imagery for any area of interest, whereas RapidEye Mosaics will make available a recent and seamless picture of full countries. For more information, visit http://marketplace.arcgis.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

(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

(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

(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

(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

September 16, 2013 – Industry pays tribute to winners at Summit on Earth Observation as part of World Satellite Business Week

Euroconsult, the leading global research and analyst firm specializing in the Space and Earth observation sector, announced the recipients of its Annual Earth Observation Business Awards during its Summit on Earth Observation Business held in Paris on Sept 12/13. The annual international event features leaders from EO satellite operators, data distributors, manufacturers, and government and private users.

These awards are bestowed upon leaders and their companies for outstanding accomplishment in the sector. Euroconsult pays tribute to the winners each September in Paris during the World Satellite Business Week, the industry’s annual senior executive event, now in its 17th year. This year, our industry experts used rigorous qualitative1 and quantitative2 methods to recognize winners in four categories during the Summit on Earth Observation Business:

  • Strategic Transaction of the Year: DigitalGlobe for its combination with GeoEye
  • Newcomer Earth Observation Operator of the Year: Deimos Group
  • Commercial Deal of the Year: UAE SRC for the Falcon Eye deal signed with Astrium and Thales Alenia Space
  • Strategic Partnership of the Year: Satrec Initiative for its agreement signed with KARI for KOMPSAT imagery sales

“The winning organizations and their leaders have significantly shaped the Earth observation market over the past year, achieving outstanding performance and demonstrating excellence in their strategic vision and innovation.” said Pacôme Revillon, CEO of Euroconsult.

The distinguished winners shared their thoughts:

Strategic Transaction of the Year
Jeffrey R. Tarr, CEO, DigitalGlobe
“By combining DigitalGlobe and GeoEye to become one DigitalGlobe, we have created a company capable of providing greater value to customers through an integrated constellation and a broader set of solutions. We appreciate Euroconsult recognizing the significance of our combination. DigitalGlobe is now positioned to provide a wider array of geospatial information and insight to help customers solve complex problems and compete in a high-growth and dynamic global market.”

Newcomer Earth Observation Operator of the Year
Miguel Bello Mora, Managing Director, Deimos Group
“We would like to thank Euroconsult and the jury for this prestigious Award, dedicated to DEIMOS Imaging team, partners and customers, which are the key players in the success of our organization. This important Award increases our motivation for our next challenge, the launch in the coming months of our new satellite DEIMOS 2 and the entry in the Very High Resolution market segment”.

Strategic Partnership of the Year
Sungdong Park, Founder and Chairman, Satrec Initiative
“We, Satrec Initiative and Korea Aerospace Research Institute, appreciate very much winning the Award for the Strategic Partnership of the Year. We hope that more strategic partnership will happen, as we did, between government and domestic companies for data commercialization from EO missions of developing and emerging countries to benefit the users with alternative EO resources and change the ecosystem of the market.”

World Satellite Business Week & Summit on Earth Observation Business
The World Satellite Business Week is the unique executive meeting place for the global satellite business. It includes Euroconsult’s flagship Summit for Satellite Financing and Summit on Earth Observation Business. Throughout the week, the summit brings together over 120 top-level speakers and 600 senior executives from the satellite and Earth observation industry and the financial community. Top business leaders participate in this must-attend summit to discuss strategy, make deals and strike partnerships. www.satellite-business.com

About Euroconsult
Euroconsult is the leading international consulting and analyst firm specializing in satellite applications, communications, and Earth observation. Euroconsult provides strategic consulting and analysis, develops comprehensive research reports and forecasts, and organizes executive-level events including the World Summit for Satellite Financing and the Symposium for Earth Observation Business (www.satellite-business.com). With 25 years of experience Euroconsult has over 560 clients in 50 countries, including leaders throughout the satellite industry; satellite operators and service providers; government agencies; satellite manufacturers and launch service providers; equipment providers and integrators; media and broadcasting companies; and banks and investors. The company has completed 500 satellite-related consulting projects. Euroconsult is based in Paris with offices in Montreal and Washington, DC. www.euroconsult-ec.com.

1 Innovation, strategic decisions related to infrastructure, commercial strategy and partnerships and their impact, etc.
2 Financial performance indicators including revenue growth, commercial revenues, deal size, etc.

Source Euroconsult

8 October 2013 – Astrium, Europe’s leading space technology company, has launched two new TerraSAR-X imaging modes. The enhanced imaging capabilities facilitate the delivery of higher resolution imagery as well as the coverage of larger areas.

The new Staring SpotLight mode features a resolution of down to 25 cm – unrivalled by any other commercial SAR system. This unprecedented resolution combined with an enhanced radiometric quality takes SAR-based object detection and recognition to a new level. Staring SpotLight data allows an identification of even small-scaled objects and an easier interpretation of SAR imagery by revealing crucial details. This can facilitate the identification of determining features of e.g. vehicles, vessels or airplanes. Staring SpotLight images cover an area of appr. 4 × 3.7km² (scene size can vary depending on the incidence angle).

  • Two new TerraSAR-X acquisition modes boost applications in the maritime and defence & security domains
  • New Staring SpotLight mode provides 25cm data – the highest resolution commercial SAR imagery available on the market
  • Up to 400,000km² in a single acquisition with new TerraSAR-X Wide ScanSAR mode – independent of weather and daylight conditions

For the new Wide ScanSAR mode the ground swath of TerraSAR-X has been increased from 100km to 270km at a spatial resolution of 40m. This gives the satellite coverage of up to 400.000km², more than half of the North Sea surface area, in a single acquisition – independent of weather and daylight. The large area coverage and weather independent acquisition supports ship detection and tracking, oil spill detection as well as monitoring of sea ice, contributing to the safety and efficiency of maritime activities around the globe.

”With the two new modes we are in an even better position to serve the needs of our customers particularly in the defence & security and maritime surveillance domains. And these new modes will also be available with PAZ, the TerraSAR-X twin satellite, scheduled for launch in 2014. Their orbit phasing will boost revisit times and enhance acquisition capabilities to support a wide range of all-weather monitoring tasks,” explains Dr. Vark Helfritz, Managing Director of the Geo-Information business at Astrium Services in Germany.

The implementation of the two new modes was achieved through an upgrade of the TerraSAR-X space, ground and service segments jointly provided by Astrium Services and the German Aerospace Centre DLR.

About Astrium
Together, pioneering excellence
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.

Press contacts

  • Jeremy Close (Astrium UK): Tel.: +44 (0)1 438 77 3872
  • Gregory Gavroy (Astrium FR): Tel.: +33 (0) 1 77 75 80 32
  • Ralph Heinrich (Astrium GER): Tel.: +49 (0) 89 607 33971
  • Francisco Lechón (Astrium SP): Tel.: +34 91 586 37 41

Get more info on Astrium
Press Centre: www.astrium.eads.net/en/press_centre
Broadcast Room: www.astrium.eads.net/en/press_centre/broadcast-room.html
RSS: www.astrium.eads.net/en/press_centre.xml
YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/astriumtv
www.astrium.eads.net

The aim of the service case was to provide the European Investment Bank with the information on progress of large cement plant construction in Derba (Ethiopia) and to demonstrate the potential and benefits of EO technology within the context of infrastructure construction monitoring.

The service case ‘Monitoring Progress of Large Cement Plant Construction in Derba, Ethiopia’ has delivered harmonized information on cement plant construction and infrastructure development as well as the information on evolution of related land cover/land use in neighboring area with strong spatial-temporal dimension.

The European Investment Bank (EIB) is the long-term financing institution of the European Union, promoting its objectives in the EU’s cooperation and development policies. Therefore, regular assessments of the environmental and social impacts of the activities undertaken in connection with the EIB loans are a necessary condition for receiving and maintaining the financing.

The overall results provide up-to-date and independent information on plant development and identify some environmentally and socially harmful processes related over the requested period (2007-2011). Beside the EO based information provision, GISAT has supported also the EIB focus on interpreted relevant information presented in the meaningful way, rather than on EO based data itself by delivery of results in integrated easy-to-use exploration tool.

Demonstration project clearly highlighted advantage of the EO based information products in provision of cost-effective and independent monitoring capacity for past, present and future, harmonized across the globe.


Example of web-based presentation of the project results

Gisat provides wide range of geoinformation services based on Earth Observation technology. It focuses on operational application of satellite mapping to monitor various aspects of our environment and development of dedicated web based platforms for geoinformation analysis and assessment Web // E-mail // Tel:+420 271741935 // Fax: +420 271741936