[SatNews] Airbus Defence and Space has been selected as the sole, prime contractor to develop, construct and launch the first Earth Observation (EO) optical satellite system for Peru, with the support of the French government.
Artistic rendition of Airbus Defence & Space' Astrobus satellite platform.
Image courtesy of Airbus D&S.
The system includes a latest-generation optical satellite with its very high-resolution instrument (from the Naomi family, combining the company’s best expertise in optical instrumentation), and a ground control segment, image reception and processing center. The project also includes a complete training program for Peruvian engineers and technicians (including satellite operations for developing tailored imaging applications). Ahead of entry into service of the Peruvian satellite, Airbus Defence and Space will download data and images from its fleet of optical and radar satellites direct into Peru.
“With this first satellite system, Peru will acquire space capability at a very high level, and we are delighted to have been selected for our technology and expertise, particularly in the field of silicon carbide,” said François Auque, Head of Space Systems, at the signing ceremony. “In winning this contract, Airbus Defence and Space reinforces its position as the world’s number one exporter of Earth observation satellites of all types and resolution levels.”
This program will be based on the Astrobus platform, which is designed for missions as varied as imaging (Pleiades, SPOT 6&7, Ingenio, KazEOSat-1), the environment (Sentinel-2), and meteorology (Sentinel-5p). This system also benefits from the expertise developed by Airbus Defence and Space in the field of silicone carbide (SiC) space structures and instruments. Together with its partner Boostec, the company has created, through a series of achievements in space (Herschel, Gaia, KazEOSat-1, etc.), a new, successful, economic sector. The SiC produced in the Midi-Pyrénées region is exported around the world.
Additionally, Airbus Defence & Space is preparing for the launch of KazEOSat-1 (formerly known as DZZ-HR), which is due to lift off on 28 April 2014 into low Sun-synchronous orbit (about 700 km from Earth) on-board a Vega launcher from the European spaceport in Kourou (French Guiana).
Artistic rendition of the KazEOSat-1 satellite.
Image courtesy of Airbus Defence & Space.
KazEOSat-1, built on the Astrobus platform, is the Republic of Kazakhstan’s first Earth Observation satellite. It was built entirely by Airbus Defence and Space and is a very high-resolution (1 metre) satellite weighing 900 kg that will provide the Republic of Kazakhstan with a complete range of civil applications, including monitoring of natural and agricultural resources, the provision of mapping data, security applications, and support for rescue operations in the event of natural disasters. KazEOSat-1 is the high-resolution element of a space observation system that will comprise two satellites and their ground segment. The medium-resolution satellite, KazEOSat-2, is built by SSTL, a British subsidiary of Airbus Defence and Space.
These two satellites form part of “Kazakhstan’s Space Plan”, which also includes the construction in Astana, the capital of the Republic of Kazakhstan, of a satellite integration & test center, for which key equipment is being supplied by Airbus Defence and Space. In 2009, Airbus Defence and Space was chosen by Kazakhstan as a strategic partner in this Space Plan, and has already trained 60 engineers and technicians from Kazakhstan. Airbus Defence and Space and the joint stock company Kazakhstan Garysh Sapary, a national company under the supervision of the National Space Agency of the Republic of Kazakhstan, have formed a joint-venture named Ghalam in order to run this center.
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