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The European Space Agency and Astrium GmbH have signed a contract worth €263 million to provide the EarthCARE satellite, the sixth Earth Explorer mission of ESA’s Living Planet Programme. As prime contractor, Astrium GmbH is responsible for the satellite’s design, development and integration.

(27 May 2008). The contract was signed today in Berlin on the occasion of the International Aerospace Exhibition (ILA) by Volker Liebig, ESA’s Director of Earth Observation, Evert Dudok, CEO of Astrium Satellites and Uwe Minne, Director of Earth Observation and Science at Astrium GmbH (Friedrichshafen), in the presence of German Chancellor Angela Merkel, ESA Director General Jean-Jacques Dordain and Head of the German Aerospace Centre (DLR) Johann-Dietrich Wörner.

Underlining the value of this mission for a better understanding of the Earth system and climate change issues, Volker Liebig stated that “the role of aerosols in cloud formation and the interaction with radiation is not completely understood by science but plays an important role in climate and weather modelling. This is why the EarthCARE proposal was selected”.

EarthCARE, ESA’s Cloud and Aerosol mission developed in co-operation with JAXA, the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency, will address the need for a better understanding of the interactions between cloud, radiative and aerosol processes that play a role in climate regulation.

EarthCARE
The EarthCARE mission aims to improve the representation and understanding of the Earth’s radiative balance in climate and numerical weather forecast models by acquiring vertical profiles of clouds and aerosols, as well as the radiances at the top of the atmosphere. Aerosols control cloud properties, while clouds control the production of precipitation and convection influences stratospheric humidity. The observations of EarthCARE will therefore lead to more reliable climate predictions and better weather forecasts through the improved representation of processes involving clouds, aerosol and radiation.

The satellite will weigh about 1.7 tonnes and will be placed in a quasi-polar orbit of 97° inclination at an altitude of about 400 kilometres. Its launch is scheduled for 2013. The four instruments of the payload consist of an Atmospheric Lidar, a Broad-Band Radiometer and a Multi-Spectral Imager developed by ESA, and a Cloud Profiling Radar developed by JAXA This instrument suite has been optimised to provide co-located samples of the state of the atmosphere along the satellite flight track.

Following the successful implementation of the ERS satellites and Envisat, which address Earth science issues of a global nature, Earth Explorers are focused research missions dedicated to specific aspects of our planet’s environment carrying onboard leading-edge technologies. They focus on the atmosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere, cryosphere and the Earth’s interior, with the overall emphasis on learning more about the interactions between these components and the impact that human activity is having on natural processes.

For further information:

Alain Lefebvre
EarthCARE Project Manager
ESA/ESTEC
Tel.: + 31 71 565 3588
Fax: +31 71 565 4719
e-mail: alain.lefebvre@esa.int

On 20 June, the Ocean Surface Topography Mission/Jason-2 satellite was successfully launched by NASA from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.

The satellite has started a globe-circling voyage to monitor sea level, a vital indicator of global climate change.

Compared with Jason-1, Jason-2 will provide substantially more accurate data and thus will improve knowledge of global and regional sea-level changes, and enable more precise weather, ocean and climate forecasts.

Jason-2’s expected lifetime of at least three years will extend into the next decade the continuous record of these data started in 1992 by NASA and CNES, with the TOPEX/Poseidon mission.

More information on:
http://www.aviso.oceanobs.com/en/missions/future-missions/jason-2/index.html

Source GMES.Info

The Africa edition of the United Nations Environment Programme’s “Atlas of our Changing Environment” highlights how modern Earth observation systems can support action to address humanity’s growing impact on the natural environment.

Geneva, 10 June 2008 – By comparing satellite images and ground photos of specific locations taken 30 years ago and then again today, the Atlas makes it possible to truly comprehend the decade-scale changes occurring in the African environment.

UNEP has presented the Atlas, which was released on 10 June, as a contribution to the Global Earth Observation System of Systems. For more information and a link to the Atlas, you can download the full text

ERDAS has been selected by the European Space Agency (ESA) and Spacebel to participate to the next phase of the Heterogeneous Missions Accessibility (HMA) project, called HMA-Testbed (HMA-T) phase 2.


Initiated in 2005, HMA is part of ESA’s participation in the Global Monitoring for Environment and Security (GMES) European program. The goal of HMA is to standardize the ground segment interfaces of the satellite missions contributing to GMES for easier access to earth observation (EO) data.

Organizations monitoring environmental changes, accidents or disasters at various levels need access to EO data from multiple providers. Current estimates show that more than 60% of the efforts of the service providers are consumed just for the access to EO data. With HMA, ESA aims to define the interoperability standards for harmonized access to ESA, national, Eumetsat and other third parties satellite missions. HMA will enable across-missions standardized data access, including collection and service discovery, catalog search and data programming and order.

ERDAS has been an active contributor of the HMA project since its beginning. In 2005, HMA began its first stage, defining interoperability standards, with ERDAS focusing on cataloguing requirements, leading to extensions of the CS-W standard of the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC). In 2007, HMA initiated validating the proposed standard specifications into real implementations. In 2008, HMA launched its testbed stage, continuing specification improvements and supporting the operational implementations already begun at ESA and partners, with the conformance testing and prototyping of the newly defined standards.

The appointed participants in HMA-T phase 2 recently met to launch the project on 4 July 2008, at ESA premises in Frascati, Italy. Under the coordination of Spacebel, HMA-T phase 2 brings together selected European actors of the earth observation domain, including Spot Image, IGN France, Deimos, VITO, GIM and Infoterra UK.

“ERDAS is a leader in geospatial interoperability based on open standards. Supporting this vision compels ERDAS to maintain the edge by making important research investments,” said Brad Skelton, Chief Technology Officer, ERDAS. “Open standards-based interoperability requires the involvement and commitment of a community. That’s why ERDAS, besides its internal R&D, is strongly involved in the OGC and also in projects like HMA. With HMA, ERDAS takes one more step towards its objective: helping organizations harness the information of the changing earth.”

“A European initiative, HMA is watched with great attention in other regions of the world. The problem tackled by ESA is indeed universal,” said Christopher Tucker, Senior Vice President Americas and National Programs, ERDAS. “For many years, ERDAS has actively promoted the principles that are the foundation of HMA: open standards, interoperability, data accessibility and global discovery. Customers all over the world will benefit from the technological advances gained by ERDAS through HMA.”

For more information about ERDAS or its products and services, please call +1 770 776 3400, toll free +1 866 GO ERDAS, or visit www.erdas.com.

About ERDAS

ERDAS creates geospatial business systems that transform our earth’s data into business information, enabling individuals, businesses and public agencies to quickly access, manage, process, and share that information from anywhere.

Using secure geospatial information, ERDAS solutions improve employee, customer and partner visibility to information, enabling them to respond faster and collaborate better. It also means better decision-making, increased productivity and new revenue streams.

ERDAS is a part of the Hexagon Group, Sweden. For more information about ERDAS or its products and services,
please call +1 770 776 3400, toll free +1 866 534 2286, or visit www.erdas.com .

Media Contact: Jason Sims, ERDAS, Inc. – Marketing Communications Specialist
5051 Peachtree Corners Circle, Suite 100, Norcross, GA 30092
Phone: +1 770 776 3400 or +1 866 534 2286
E-mail: Jason.Sims@erdas.com

ESA and EADS Astrium have been signed the contract for GMES Sentinel-2 satellite.

The European Space Agency and Astrium were signed 17.4.2008 a €195 million contract to provide the first Sentinel-2 earth observation satellite, devoted to monitoring the land environment, as part of the European GMES programme. As prime contractor, Astrium is responsible for the design, development and integration of the satellite, which will perform a high-end multi-spectral optical imaging mission.

The contract was signed in Friedrichshafen by Volker Liebig, ESA Director of Earth Observation, Evert Dudok, President of Astrium Satellites, and Uwe Minne, Director of Earth Observation & Science for Astrium, in the presence of the European Commission and Ulrich Kasparick, German Parliamentary State Secretary at the Transport, Building & Urban Affairs Ministry.

Underlining the value of this mission for Europe, Volker Liebig commented: “This satellite is an important element of GMES and will enable Europe to continuously observe changes in the environment”.

Global Monitoring for Environment and Security (GMES) aims to deliver environment and security services and is being led by the European Commission. It is the European response to the ever-increasing demands of effective environmental policies. At the same time, it is the European contribution to the Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS).

ESA is responsible for implementation of the GMES Space Component, a set of earth observation missions involving ESA, EU/ESA Member States and other partners. Central elements of the Space Component are the five families of Sentinel missions.

Sentinel-2 will deliver crucial data for information services to the EU and its Member States under GMES. The services fed by it cover areas such as climate change, sustainable development, environmental policies, European civil protection, common agricultural policy, development aid, humanitarian aid and the Common Foreign & Security Policy.

Sentinel-2 will support the operational generation of products such as the mapping of land cover, land use, change detection and geophysical variables. The mission objective is systematic coverage of the earth’s land surface (from -56° to +83° latitude) to produce cloud-free imagery typically every 15 to 30 days over Europe.

Sentinel-2 features a 290 km-wide coverage, 10-20 m spatial resolution, 13 optical channel instrument (operating from visible-near infrared to shortwave infrared) and will ensure enhanced-quality continuity with existing missions Spot and Landsat. It will provide improved revisit time, swath width, coverage area, spectral bands, calibration and image quality. These features will enable it to contribute effectively to GMES needs for operational land and emergency services.

ESA carried out the Sentinel-2 definition phase over 2005/2006. The implementation phase started in October 2007. The launch of the first Sentinel-2 satellite is planned for 2012.

Source ESA

CARTOSAT-2A and nine other satellites successfully launched.


In its thirteenth flight conducted from Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) SHAR, Sriharikota, today (April 28, 2008), ISRO’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle, PSLV-C9, successfully launched the 690 kg Indian remote sensing satellite CARTOSAT-2A, the 83 kg Indian Mini Satellite (IMS-1) and eight nanosatellites for international customers into a 637 km polar Sun Synchronous Orbit (SSO). PSLV-C9 in its ‘core alone’ configuration launched ten satellites with a total weight of about 820 kg.
After the final count down, PSLV-C9 lifted off from the second launch pad at SDSC SHAR, at 09:24 Hrs IST with the ignition of the core first stage. The important flight events included the separation of the first stage, ignition of the second stage, separation of the heatshield at about 125 km altitude after the vehicle had cleared the dense atmosphere, second stage separation, third stage ignition, third stage separation, fourth stage ignition and fourth stage cut-off.
The 690 kg main payload, CARTOSAT-2A, was the first satellite to be injected into orbit at 885 seconds after lift-off at an altitude of 637 km. About 45 seconds later, Indian Mini Satellite (IMS-1) was separated after which all the nano satellites were separated in sequence. The initial signals indicate normal health of the satellites.

CARTOSAT-2A

CARTOSAT-2A is a state-of-the art remote sensing satellite with a spatial resolution of about one metre and swath of 9.6 km. The satellite carries a panchromatic camera (PAN) capable of taking black-and-white pictures in the visible region of electromagnetic spectrum. The highly agile CARTOSAT-2A is steerable along as well as across the direction of its movement to facilitate imaging of any area more frequently.

Soon after separation from PSLV fourth stage, the two solar panels of CARTOSAT-2A were automatically deployed. The satellite’s health is continuously monitored from the Spacecraft Control Centre at Bangalore with the help of ISTRAC network of stations at Bangalore, Lucknow, Mauritius, Bearslake in Russia, Biak in Indonesia and Svalbard in Norway.

High-resolution data from CARTOSAT-2A will be invaluable in urban and rural development applications calling for large scale mapping.

Indian Mini Satellite (IMS -1)

Indian Mini Satellite (IMS-1), flown as an auxiliary payload on board PSLV-C9, is developed by ISRO for remote sensing applications. Weighing 83 Kg at lift-off, IMS-1 incorporates many new technologies and has miniaturised subsystems. IMS-1 carries two remote sensing payloads – A Multi-spectral camera (Mx Payload) and a Hyper-spectral camera (HySI Payload), operating in the visible and near infrared regions of the electromagnetic spectrum. The spatial resolution of Mx camera is 37 metre with a swath of 151 km while that of HySI is about 506 metre with a swath of about 130 km. The data from this mission will be made available to interested space agencies and student community from developing countries to provide necessary impetus to capacity building in using satellite data. The versatile IMS-1 has been specifically developed to carry different payloads in future without significant changes in it and has a design life time of two years.

Nano Satellites for International Customers

Eight Nanosatellites from abroad are carried as auxiliary payloads besides IMS-1 as well as CARTOSAT-2A. The total weight of these Nanosatellite payloads is about 50 Kg. Six of the eight Nanosatellites are clustered together with the collective name NLS-4. The other two nanosatellites are NLS-5 AND RUBIN-8. NLS-4, developed by University of Toronto, Canada consists of six nano-satellites developed by various universities. Two of them – CUTE 1.7 and SEEDS – are built in Japan, while the other four – CAN-X2, AAUSAT-II, COMPASS-1 and DELPHI-C3 are built in Canada, Denmark, Germany and the Netherlands respectively. NLS-5 is also built by University of Toronto and RUBIN-8 is built by Cosmos International, Germany. The eight nanosatellite payloads of PSLV-C9 are built to develop nano technologies for use in satellites as well as for the development of technologies for satellite applications.

In its twelve consecutively successful flights so far, PSLV has repeatedly proved itself as a reliable and versatile workhorse launch vehicle. It has demonstrated multiple satellite launch capability having launched a total of sixteen satellites for international customers besides thirteen Indian payloads which are for remote sensing, amateur radio communications and Space capsule Recovery Experiment (SRE-1). PSLV was used to launch ISRO’s exclusive meteorological satellite, KALPANA-1, into a Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO) in September 2002 and thus proved its versatility. The same vehicle will be used to launch Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft, India’s first mission to Moon during this year.

Source ISRO

Scientists for many years have been using satellite remote sensing technology, utilising low and medium resolution sensors to improve water balance and farming yield assessment on large geographical scales around the world.

(June 22). With the availability of high resolution satellite sensors such as IKONOS, QuickBird and soon GeoEye-1, the current remote sensing NDVI algorithms utilised have become more accurate and reliable, providing detailed crop information for agriculture management to improve production and crop health.

FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations) data indicate that annually 2500 km3 of freshwater is used for agricultural production, which amounts to 70% of the water resources that the world population consumes in a year. China is now consuming more than twice as much as what its ecosystems can supply sustainably, having doubled its needs since the 1960s, as indicated in a new WWF report. With the global population continuing to grow at a high pace, it is essential to optimise the use of water resources and to increase agricultural production in view of the prospect of having to feed 8 billion humans by 2030.

Agriculture resources are among the most important renewable, dynamic natural resources. Comprehensive, reliable and timely information on agricultural resources is very much necessary for countries whose main source of the economy is agriculture. Agriculture surveys are conducted through the nation in order to gather information and statistics on crops, rangeland, livestock and other related agricultural resources. This data is most important for the implementation of effective management decisions.

Satellite images can show variations in organic matter and drainage patterns. Soils higher in organic matter can be differentiated from lighter sandier soil that has a lower organic matter content. “Satellite image data have the potential to provide real-time analysis for large areas of attributes of a growing crop that can assist in making timely management decisions that affect the outcome of the current crop” said Leopold J. Romeijn, President of Satellite Imaging Corporation of Houston, Texas. However, like other precision agriculture technologies the information gained from satellite imagery are more meaningful when used with other available data and visualised and analysed with a 2D/3D Geographical Information Systems (GIS).

Satellite Imagery analysis for agriculture production allows for:

* Fast and accurate overview
* Quantitative green vegetation assessment
* Underlying soil characteristics
* TreeGrading

Remote sensing satellite imaging is an evolving technology with the potential for contributing to studies for land cover and change detection by making globally comprehensive evaluations of many environmental and human actions possible. These changes, in turn, influence management and policy decision-making. Satellite image data enable direct observation of the land surface at repetitive intervals and therefore allow mapping of the extent and monitoring and assessment of:

* Crop health
* Storm Water Runoff
* Change detection
* Air Quality
* Environmental analysis
* Energy Savings
* Irrigated landscape mapping
* Carbon Storage and Avoidance
* Yield determination
* Soils and Fertility Analysis

Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI)

The Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) is a simple numerical indicator that can be used to analyse remote sensing measurements from a space or airborne platform, and assess whether the target being observed contains live green vegetation or not. AgroWatch (*) algorithms were developed by DigitalGlobe to enhance the NDVI results.

High or medium resolution satellite image data products help quantify crop status, soil conditions and rates of crop change throughout the field as small as 2’ x 2’. NDVI products reduce the field time by 50% by quickly identifying the problem areas – often before they are visible to the naked eye and to provide a solution to the problem which can significantly boost field productivity and crop quality, while reducing costs.

Green Vegetation Index – Colorized Map

The Green Vegetation Index – Colorized Map (GVC) colourises the green vegetation index (GVI) values to show the spatial distribution of remotely sensed vegetation. The index is related to crop vigour, vegetation amount or biomass, resulting from inputs, environmental, physical and cultural factors affecting crops. The NDVI algorithm is applied to calibrate satellite images to separate the reflectance of vegetation from variation caused by underlying soils or water. The product is produced for a given field as well as for a region of interest.

Green Vegetation Index – Sharpened Map (GVS) is a superior product which combines pansharpened information and GVC values to improve manual image interpretation intended to facilitate the identification and mapping of significant spatial features. Information about green biomass density is contained in the original GVC product, which uses colours to show various levels in increments of 5 (on a scale from 0 to 100). GVS uses the registered panchromatic image (collected to make this a visible pan image) to modulate the brightness of each GVC colour. The result has the excellent properties of a pansharpened image, but with quantitative numbers that are close (within 2 units) of the original GVC numbers.

Soil Zone Index

To develop a Soil Zone Index map, satellite images of the agriculture fields are calibrated and then spectral algorithms are applied that isolate soil components from vegetation. The final satellite image shows what the soil surface of your field looks like, including irrigation patterns, sand streaks, clay lenses, and organic matter and crop residue variations. If the crop has less than 50 percent canopy cover, the NDVI algorithms sees it all, and the Soil Zone map shows only the underlying soil. With a Soil Zone map, you can clearly see landscape variations. Lighter colours indicate dry, salty or coarsely textured soils, while darker colours indicate wet or organic soils. Often, variations in colour indicate topographic variations across fields, which can greatly impact your crop management strategies and zone creation for precision agriculture management applications.

TreeGrading

The TreeGrading product provides an assessment of each individual tree in an orchard to help growers manage trees for top production. High resolution QuickBird, IKONOS or SPOT-5 satellite image data can be collected in support of Agriculture Management developing TreeGrading Maps to reveal the location and extent of each tree canopy determined by using a proprietary spectral algorithm. The properties of the GVI satellite images within each polygon are extracted to an industry standard Geographic Information Systems (GIS) database. The GIS software is then used to view and analyse the data. A satellite image and GIS map of missing trees is also created so the manager can plan for replacement.

Satellite Imaging Corporation (SIC) provides archived and new IKONOS, QuickBird, SPOT-5, ALOS and other Satellite Image data for many areas around the Globe and utilises advanced Remote Sensing techniques, Colour and Panchromatic image data processing services, orthorectification, culture and feature extractions, pan sharpening with image data fusion from different sensors and resolutions, enhancements, georeferencing, mosaicing and colour/grayscale balancing for GIS and other geospatial applications.

(source: Satellite Imaging Corporation and Spacenews)

Thailand’s Theos satellite has another chance to get into orbit now Russia has negotiated a deal with Kazakhstan to take rocket waste discharged during the launch process.

The launch is now expected by September.

Theos _ short for Thailand Earth Observation System _ will be Thailand’s first natural resources survey satellite. Its launch has been delayed since early this year because Uzbekistan opposed receiving the rocket-waste discharge, which is released as the satellite is launched.

‘‘We just received good news from France on Friday. They told me that Russia talked to Kazakhstan. What we have to do is prepare the launch campaign, which takes around eight weeks,’‘ said Thongchai Charuppat, director of Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency.

‘‘When it gets into orbit, we will have achieved significant success,’‘ he said.

Although the bed site for the waste discharge has now changed, the launch base is still in Yahni of Russia.

The remote sensing satellite project was started by former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra in 2005.

The government signed a contract with EADS Astrium company from France worth 6.2 billion baht to build the remote sensing satellite to survey natural resources. According to the contract, the company was to have launched the satellite into orbit by November last year.

Mr Thongchai said he was confident no further technical problems should arise to delay the process.

‘‘Please be assured that we do not have to pay more. The French company has to take responsibility for the delay. In case of an explosion, the company will also take responsibility,’‘ he said.

Source bangkokpost

The National Space Research Development Agency has said that it would complete the installation of the Mission Control Room (MCC) for the country’s second earth-observation satellite (NigeriaSat-2) in August.

The centre is a very critical component of the $55m earth-observation satellite facility due for launch within the first quarter of 2010.

It is the place where space engineers and scientists attached to NigeriaSat-2 perform the nominal operation of tracking, control, command, data upload and download.

The Director-General of NASRDA, Professor Robert Boroffice, who made the disclosure yesterday while addressing newsmen in Abuja as part of the ceremonies marking the five years of Nigerian satellite in space, said the agency would relocate the NigeriaSat-1 mission control centre from its temporary base in Asokoro to NASRDA’s permanent site along airport road in Abuja.
“Starting from tomorrow, 26th June, NASRDA would commence the relocation of the NigeriaSat-1 Mission Control Centre (MCC) from its present location of the Asokoro to the agency’s permanent site at the Space Centre at Lugbe in Abuja”, he said.

He said the $55m NigeriaSat-2 space satellite with higher resolution of five metres would be due for launch within the first quarter of 2010 instead of the projected 2009.

The D-G said the reason for the relocation of the Sat-1 MCC to its permanent site was taken by the management in view of the escalating cost of rent being incurred on the temporary site. He said since the agency has moved its offices to the permanent site, there is the need to also bring all its facilities under one roof.
Boroffice disclosed that some of the electronics of MCC would be shipped to its partners in the United Kingdom for refurbishment and upgrading to make it compatible with the NigeriaSat-2 spacecraft.

According to him, the NigeriaSat-1 MCC would serve as a back up for the NigeriaSat-2MCC which will be due for installation at NASRDA headquarters within the next eight weeks. He said Nigerian scientists and engineers currently undergoing training in UK would take charge of controlling the satellite while the refurbishment will be executed at no cost to the country.
The NigeriaSat-1 which was launched in 2003 had a resolution of 32 metres, while the new satellite is designed to give a higher resolution of 5 metres and will also be equipped with more spectrum than the first one.

Explaining the distinctive roles of both Sat-1 and Sat-2, Boroffice said the first satellite is essentially a disaster monitoring and mapping satellite which has assisted Nigeria and countries in other parts of the world with essential data in the area of drought management, food security programmes, improved agricultural yield and environmental management.

The agency’s Project’s Director in-charge of NigeriaSat-2, Mr. C. Chizea said the satellite project is moving ahead of schedule as the training of Nigerian space engineers attached to the project is almost completed.

“We have also completed the critical review of the spacecraft in readiness for the final testing of the satellite”, he said.

Source thisdayonline