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The launch of NigeriaSat-2 and Nigeriasat-X earlier billed for this month has been rescheduled to the first quarter of 2011.

Minister of Science and Technology, Prof. Mohammed Abubakar, disclosed this at a ministerial briefing in Abuja.

He, however, explained that the development and construction of the High Resolution Earth observation Satellite known as NigeriaSat-2 has reached an advanced stage. He added that the components are at present being transported to the launching site in Yansy, Russia.

According to him, “the know-how technology training undertaken by Nigeria scientists and engineers included the building of a flight standard training model called the Nigeriasat-x, which would be launched along with the NigeriaSat-2 as a demonstration of Nigeria’s capability of building future satellites here in Nigeria.”

Abubakar noted while speaking on the challenges facing that nation that energy remains the most strategic and, in fact, greatest challenge to the nation development, pointing out that the only solution to energy crisis is to diversify and fully exploit a wide range of renewable sources of energy which are being developed by the Ministry of Science and Technology.

The minister lamented that most of the research outcomes which otherwise could have catapulted Nigeria to the club of technologically developed nations are, unfortunately, not being translated into essential goods and services.

“It has been observed with dismay that there are a lot of Research and Development (R&D) results lying idle on the laboratory shelves and workshops awaiting commercialisation. One of the factors responsible for this unhealthy situation is lack of adequate funding for aggressive promotion and popularisation of R&D result in order to sensitise and stimulate the interest of the public, especially entrepreneurs,” Abubakar noted.

He insisted that the inability to develop these research outcomes is largely responsible for Nigeria being currently a very high foreign technology consuming nation.

The minister, however, called for the establishment of National Science and Technology Fund (NSTF) to fund the commercialisation of research outcomes and to assist entrepreneurs who are desirous of adopting such outcomes with seed money and other technical assistance to enable them set up cottage, small and medium scale enterprises.

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ESA’s 2009 global land cover map has been released and is now available to the public online from the ‘GlobCover’ website.

GlobCover 2009 proves the sharpest possible global land cover map can be created within a year.

The map was produced using 12 months of data from Envisat’s Medium Resolution Imaging Spectrometer at a resolution of 300 m.

ESA and Belgium’s Université catholique de Louvain created the map using software developed by Medias France and Germany’s Brockmann Consult on data collected from 1 January to 31 December 2009. GlobCover 2009 was generated within a year of acquiring the final satellite data.

The map’s legend uses the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation’s Land Cover Classification System.

Some 8000 people have downloaded the previous version, GlobCover 2005. These maps are useful for studying the effects of climate change, conserving biodiversity and managing natural resources.

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A huge amount of data is already provided by satellites watching to the Earth and the new services that are going to be implemented, including high accuracy and high reliability positioning and navigation systems, are offering new opportunities.

On the other hand, European Union is challenged to reach a real interoperability of geographical information data, through the implementation of the INSPIRE directive and the GIS4EU project could be considered an example of this. However, the use of the data provided by satellites (both in GMES and in Galileo and EGNOS) in conjunction with geographical and environmental data collected from the ground has not fully discussed and deepened in all its implications.

This conference would like to start a proper consideration of these issues,

The deadline for submission of full papers for oral presentation and publication is on January 15, 2011

Web site

BANGALORE, Dec 30 (Bernama) — As part of plans to strengthen geo studies and research, India is mulling to launch at least 30 earth observation satellites in the next one decade, reports Press Trust of India (PTI).

A top Department of Space (DoS) official, under Hyderabad-based National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC), said, a plan for the next ten years had already been draw up in this regard.

“We expect not less than 30 satellites”, Director of the Hyderabad-based National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC) Dr. V Jayaraman said.

NRSC is responsible for remote sensing satellite data acquisition and processing, data dissemination, aerial remote sensing and decision support for disaster management.

As part of the plan, the country’s apex space body Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) would launch a series of satellites such as Resource-sat, Cartosat, ocean & atmospheric satellites and Cartosat-3 with 30 cm resolution.

“We will launch Resourcesat-2 in early February or end-January. It will be a replacement satellite for Resourcesat-1 which gives us 5.8 metres, 70 km multi-spectral data for the first time”, Jayaraman told PTI.

Jayaraman was in the city to inaugurate a state-level conference on Karnataka State Geospatial Database, organised by the south Indian state of Karnataka State Remote Sensing Applications Centre.

‘Resourcesat-2’, a ‘youth satellite’ made by students of Singapore University, is a follow-on mission to Resourcesat-1, which is used to collect information and images on vegetation, crop yield and disaster management support.

The scientist said the space agency was setting up an integrated multi-mission ground segment in Hyderabad which is expected to be operational in June next year.

In this single ground station (segment), ISRO would be able to receive all the satellite data “making the (space) products in such a way that every day we want to supply 1000 products to the users directly”.

With the coming up of the facility, NRSC would be able to deliver space products within 12 hours and supply “emergency products” within one hour.

At present, it could deliver products only within four-five days.

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Surrey Satellite Technology Limited (SSTL) has won a €10.69m contract from the European Space Agency (ESA) via Dutch Space to provide a Short Wave Infra-Red (SWIR) spectrometer as part of the TROPOMI instrument for the Sentinel 5 Precursor atmospheric monitoring mission.

The SWIR spectrometer will be used to measure carbon monoxide (CO) and methane (CH4) – the latter being the second most important anthropogenic greenhouse gas – in the atmosphere. The Sentinel 5 Precursor mission will provide a source of accurate and detailed data following the completion of the European Space Agency’s Envisat Mission. This will allow scientists to continue to study both air quality and climate change until Sentinel 5 is launched in the next decade.

SSTL’s Optical Payloads Group will coordinate an industrial consortium including the Netherlands Institute for Space Research (SRON) and Sofradir (France) to procure and integrate the precision remote sensing instrument.

Dr. Matt Perkins, SSTL commented, “It is imperative that we maintain the excellent atmospheric and environmental data provided by Envisat, and SSTL is very pleased to take the lead on this important project.”

Dr Ruth Boumphrey, Head of Earth Observation at the UK Space Agency, said, “Climate change and air quality are global issues requiring the best scientific and technical approaches and we are very proud that the UK has the technology and experience to lead such an important European space project.”

The Sentinel 5 Precursor builds on the developments of the TROPOMI instrument which is led by Dutch Space, The Netherlands, as Prime Contractor. TROPOMI, which is co-funded by The Netherlands and ESA, includes substantially improved SWIR measurements compared to the SCIAMACHY instrument onboard Envisat. A push-broom replaces SCIAMACHY’s scanning instrument providing much smaller pixels (7km2×7km2 vs 120km2×30km2), and the measurement sensitivity is also greatly improved. Immersed grating technology will increase the effective resolution of the instrument without increasing the size and mass of the module.
Another new development lies in the use of Mercury Cadmium Telluride (MCT) detectors that are expected to be less susceptible to in-flight radiation damage than the NIR extended-wavelength InGaAs detector arrays onboard Envisat.

About SSTL

Surrey Satellite Technology Limited (SSTL) is the world’s leading small satellite company, delivering operational space missions for a range of applications including Earth observation, science and communications. The Company designs, manufactures and operates high performance satellites and ground systems for a fraction of the price normally associated with space missions, with over 300 staff working on turnkey satellite platforms, space-proven satellite subsystems and optical instruments.

Since 1981 SSTL has built and launched 34 satellites – as well as providing training and development programmes, consultancy services, and mission studies for ESA, NASA , international governments and commercial customers, with its innovative approach that is changing the economics of space.

Based in Guildford, UK, SSTL is owned by EADS Astrium NV.
www.sstl.co.uk

Notes to editor:
Robin Wolstenholme will manage press appointments at the IAC2010, please use the contact details below to make arrangements. This press release can be downloaded as a Word or Pdf document at the following url: http://www.sstl.co.uk/news-and-events

SSTL Contact:
Joelle Sykes, Surrey Satellite Technology Limited
Tel: +44 (0)1483 804243 Email: j.sykes@sstl.co.uk

Press Contact:
Robin Wolstenholme, bcm public relations
Tel: +44 (0)1306 882288 Email: r.wolstenholme@bcmpublicrelations.com

The government has decided to provide yen loans of up to 40 billion yen in official development assistance to Vietnam for its space exploration program, The Yomiuri Shimbun has learned.

It would be the first time Japan’s ODA would be allocated for space development. The loans of between 35 billion yen and 40 billion yen will reportedly be spent on three projects—an Earth-based space center, two observation satellites and the training of engineers.

The final decision on the project will be made this month at a ministerial meeting on packaged assistance for overseas infrastructure projects, and an agreement should be reached with the Vietnamese government in June, according to sources.

The government wants to enhance the global reputation of Japan’s space technology and also hopes the project will lead to more industrial development in Japan, observers said.

According to government officials, Japan expects to be awarded all three projects. The government aims to conclude an official contract this autumn.

The space center will be built at the currently under-construction Hoa Lac High-Tech Park, which is about 30 kilometers west of Hanoi. The center will house a testing facility for satellite assembly, a satellite operation and data-analysis facility and a large bidirectional antenna 7 meters in diameter.

One of the two Earth observation satellites will be manufactured in Japan and loaded onto an H-2A rocket to be launched from the Tanegashima Space Center in Kagoshima Prefecture in 2017. Japanese private space development firms and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency will train Vietnamese technicians on satellite production and operation, as well as data analysis.

The other satellite will be made by these Japan-trained engineers, with production expected to start from around 2019. Japan will send components and engineers to Vietnam for the project for a planned launch in 2020.

The Southeast Asian country is long and thin, stretching from north to south with an unstable climate and complex environment prone to typhoons and floods. Vietnam has long made use of observational data from a French satellite. However, the Vietnamese government is said to have a strong desire for its own satellites to monitor weather for potential natural disasters.

The Japan External Trade Organization has conducted research to determine the possibility of helping Vietnam obtain their own satellite. Vietnam officially asked Japan to support its space program with ODA in April 2009.

===

Japan lags Europe, China
By Keiko Chino / Yomiuri Shimbun Senior Writer

The government’s decision to utilize yen loans for Vietnam’s space development is taking its ODA policy boldly where no Japanese ODA has gone before.

Official development assistance previously focused on infrastructure development. Projects such as artificial satellites or rocket development had been excluded because space exploration was regarded as a “luxury.” Many government officials felt that assistance for essential bridges and roads should be given priority.

However, satellite observation data plays an important role these days in predicting and minimizing the effect of natural disasters. This was a key factor behind the government’s change of stance. “Assistance that uses Japanese space technology will benefit the nation’s diplomacy,” a government official said.

Many leading countries in space exploration are tapping emerging countries to expand their market. Last year, Japan started selling satellites to Africa and Latin America through joint efforts by the public and private sectors. However, Japan lags behind Europe and China.

Vietnam obtained its first communications satellite in 2008 and is constructing a data reception facility. It hopes to launch an Earth observation satellite in 2013 using ODA from France. A further delay in Japan’s involvement in the space exploration industry could be fatal to its success overseas.

France’s support to Vietnam is unlikely to extend to technical transfers or training of engineers. Japan’s comprehensive support to Vietnam’s space development will be a crucial step for this nation as it seeks to break into the space development market.

The Yomiuri Shimbun
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17 – 18 March 2011, Sofia, Bulgaria

The Council of Ministers of the Republic of Bulgaria together with Bulgarian organizations and institutions among which the Remote Sensing Application Centre (ReSAC), with the support of the European Commission and under the overall coordination of the Bulgarian Information Office for EO – GMES, are organizing the Second Earth Observation-Global Monitoring for Environment and Security Operational Capacity Workshop which will take place on the 17 – 18 March, 2011 in Sheraton Hotel, Sofia, Bulgaria.

Website
PROGRAMME

The aim of the OBSERVE project is to collect and compile all the necessary information for delivering an integrated analysis on the current status of EO activities and networks in the Balkans regarding environmental monitoring, the potential benefit from the full exploitation of an integrated capacity development strategy and the prospect of creating a relevant permanent EO Community in the broader region.

Quick Facts Sheet

-Acronym: Observe
-Full Title: Strengthening and development of Earth Observation activities for the environment in the Balkan area
-Website: http://www.observe-fp7.eu
-Funding scheme: Coordination Action
Theme: ENV.2010.4.1.4-1
Identification and Networking of EO activities in the Balkan area
Starting Date: November 1, 2010
Duration: 24 months
Funding: 999.465,00 €
Coordinator: Prof. Petros Patias, The Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece [patias@auth.gr]

Participant organisation

-Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece
-Institute of Geodesy and Photogrammetry – ETH Zurich, Switzerland
-University of Ljubljana, Slovenia
-GeoImaging Ltd, Cyprus
-Infometria Ltd, Greece
-Istanbul Technical University, Turkey
-University of Haifa, Israel
-University of Belgrade, Serbia
-University of Architecture, Civil Engineering & Geodesy, Bulgaria
-Polytechnic University of Tirana, Albania
-University of Sarajevo, Bosnia Herzegovina
-GEOSAT Ltd, Croatia
-The Remote Sensing Technology Institute – German Aerospace Center, Germany
-GISDATA Ltd, Serbia
-Ss Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje, Republic of Macedonia

The concept

Balkan countries do not have a coherent and continuous approach towards the challenge of implementing integrated Earth Observation (EO) applications in environmental monitoring and management. It should be mentioned that the Balkan countries, except Greece, are not ESA members. Besides, Albania, Serbia, Bulgaria, FYROM, Montenegro and Bosnia Herzegovina are also not members of the GEO.

The defect in the implementation of EO applications and their use in the environmental decision making are manifested through the limited synergies among national and regional institutions, ineffective technological means and discontinuous record of participation to international organizations and committees.

On the other hand, the increasing importance of a common approach towards effective environmental monitoring practices, for the benefit of the societal web of the broader Balkan region, calls for immediate action, setting as a starting point the built up of regional institutional capacity and spillage of technology transfer.

The aim of the OBSERVE project is to collect and compile all the necessary information for delivering an integrated analysis on the current status of EO activities and networks in the Balkans regarding environmental monitoring, the potential benefit from the full exploitation of an integrated capacity development strategy and the prospect of creating a relevant permanent EO Community in the broader region. OBSERVE project has the ultimate goal to raise awareness and establish firm links with the regional decision making bodies on the importance of a mutual and enhanced EO application network on environmental monitoring according to the principles of the GEO.

An additional key objective is to ensure a focused and strong dissemination strategy in the Balkan region. This includes EO and environmental decision makers, as well as national and regional government decision makers, the international research community, local stakeholders, the media and other valuable “multipliers”.

The OBSERVE project consortium consists of:
15 institutions from
13 different countries
8 of which belong to the Balkan region
10 of the partners are Universities/Research Organizations while the other
5 are from private sector.

The Vision

OBSERVE has the vision of establishing a new Balkan EO community of multilevel stakeholders that will make use of state of the art technological developments, products and knowhow from the existing European EO community and industry.

Strategic Objectives

-Build a spatial database and web inventory with all existing dynamic elements related to the scope of the relevant analysis in order to reinforce new synergies in EO solutions for the benefit of environment;
-Raise awareness on the need to harmonize policies and practices in the field EO applications in order to address the challenges described by the GEO societal benefit areas;
-Serve as an efficient mechanism for recording, monitoring and influencing policy in EO;
-Favour exploitation and development of EO activities and ensure coordination of these activities for the benefit of natural resources management;
-Promote the idea of permanent institutional links and mutual cooperation between Balkan states in the field of EO for environmental management;
-Ensure free access of Balkan countries to all advantages of Earth Observation techniques;
-Promote cooperation between Balkan States in the fields of training and sharing of staff and experiences in all aspects of EO.

University of Leicester is hub of new €3.5m research centre using satellite technologies to tackle environmental issues.

The University of Leicester is to launch a new €3.5m research centre that will train a new breed of hi-tech environmental researchers for the future – skilled in using the latest satellite technologies to tackle pressing environmental issues.

The new centre will also lead to development of new methods for research and addressing disaster relief following landslides and floods as well as for climate change monitoring, protection of tropical rainforests, lake water quality measuring and coastal erosion.

The University of Leicester was chosen to lead the project as it is a world leader for space research and satellite monitoring and is internationally recognised for its cutting edge research training in remote sensing.

The new European Centre of Excellence in Earth Observation Research Training, GIONET, will develop better methods for monitoring climate change, environmental disasters and land cover change.

With the changes in the planet and its climate, reliable, thorough and up-to-date environmental information is essential for understanding these changes, the impact they have on people’s lives and how to handle them.

Coordinator of the project, Professor Heiko Balzter, Head of the Department of Geography, commented:

“GIONET will lead to better satellite monitoring methods to control tropical deforestation, help people affected by natural disasters and adapt to climate change.”

GIONET will also satisfy the demand for more researchers and provide skilled personnel for the European Earth observation programme Global Monitoring for Environment and Security (GMES) land monitoring and emergency services.

Professor Balzter, who has contributed to the development of the European land monitoring from space since the very inception of GMES, commented:

“GIONET is training 14 young researchers in satellite remote sensing over the next 4 years. These young scientists will become the research leaders of tomorrow.

“They will be placed in industry and Universities and experience working abroad, as well as getting the best technical training and scientific education.

“At the same time each student will work on a research project and make a practical impact on our ability to monitor the planet from satellite.”

“Each full GIONET partner organisation is looking to recruit the brightest research students out there, who can really make a big impact on our future satellite monitoring capability,” added Professor Balzter.

Funded by European Commission, Framework Programme 7 and Marie Curie Programme, GIONET is collaboration between international partners from the private and public sector:

  • University of Leicester (Coordinator)
  • Infoterra UK Ltd.
  • Gamma Remote Sensing AG, Switzerland
  • Institute of Geodesy and Cartography, Warsaw, Poland
  • Friedrich-Schiller-University, Jena, Germany
  • Balaton Limnological Research Institute of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences
  • German Aerospace Research Establishment
  • DEFiNiENS AG, Germany
  • Joint Research Centre of the European Commission, Ispra, Italy
  • ITT Visual Information Solutions Ltd., UK
  • SpectoNatura, UK

The consortium coordinator is Prof. Balzter (Geography), and contributions to the training programme are made by the G-STEP project (GMES Space Technology Exchange Partnership; Director Prof. Paul Monks, Chemistry, Deputy Director Prof. John Remedios, Physics and Astronomy).

Source

After a cross-country road trip, NASA’s Glory climate monitoring satellite arrived at a California military base Tuesday in preparation for a Feb. 23 launch on a Taurus rocket.


The $424 million mission will study the link between climate, the sun and atmospheric aerosols. Launching from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, a Taurus XL rocket will propel Glory into polar orbit to join the “A-train” formation of Earth observation satellites at an altitude of 438 miles.

Next month’s mission is the first flight of the Taurus rocket since a launch mishap brought down another NASA climate satellite in February 2009. The launcher’s nose cone did not jettison as planned in that flight, weighing down the rocket as it soared into space and preventing it from reaching the required speed for orbit.

NASA’s Orbiting Carbon Observatory spacecraft was lost in the failure.

A NASA board of inquiry could not identify a specific reason for the anomaly, but officials noted four possible issues that could have caused the fairing separation failure. The board also recommended corrective actions.

Glory will use an identical version of the Taurus as OCO.

Officials have cleared the Taurus rocket to launch Glory, according to Sarah DeWitt, a spokesperson at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, which manages the mission.

The launch vehicle readiness review was held Dec. 6, DeWitt told Spaceflight Now.

Glory’s launch was delayed more than a year after the Taurus launch failure. A problem with one of the spacecraft’s solar array drive assemblies forced another schedule slip from last fall.

The satellite was shipped to California by truck over the weekend from Orbital Sciences Corp. in Dulles, Va. Orbital built the spacecraft and is Glory’s launch provider.

Preparations are on track for liftoff Feb. 23 at 1009 GMT (5:09 a.m. EST; 2:09 a.m. local time).

Crews will move the first segment of the four-stage Taurus rocket to the launch pad Jan. 18. The upper three stages will go to the pad Jan. 25, according to NASA.

Technicians will do final testing on the Glory payload and fill the spacecraft with hydrazine propellant later this month. The satellite will be enclosed inside the rocket’s clamshell-like payload fairing and transported to the launch pad in the first week of February.

Engineers working inside a tent will attach the nose cone to the Taurus upper stage, then a crane will lift the top segment of the rocket atop the first stage booster Feb. 15, a NASA press release said.

Glory’s mission is expected to last at least three years, collecting data on the sun’s influence on the climate and microscopic particles in the atmosphere.

“The scientific knowledge gained from Glory will have a significant impact on our understanding of natural and human influences on climate,” said Hal Maring, Glory program scientist at NASA Headquarters.

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