To that end, Astrium has selected Arianespace to launch four satellites of the ELISA demonstrator space segment. The four ELISA satellites will be placed in heliosynchronous orbit (positioned in a quasi-polar plane at an altitude of from 600 to 800 km and permanently visible from that part of the Earth that is in sunlight, matching the Sun’s period of rotation) by a Soyuz rocket to be launched from the Guiana Space Center in Kourou, French Guiana. These satellites will be the auxiliary passengers with the first Pleiades satellite (very high resolution panchromatic and multispectral Earth observation satellite). This launch should occur in late 2009.
Astrium is lead manager for the program, working with co-contractor Thales for DGA. Astrium is prime contractor for the demonstration program, which comprises four satellites, each weighing about 135 kg. The satellites are built on a Myriade platform designed by French space agency CNES. A joint DGA-CNES project management team is overseeing the program. Arianespace has already placed the Cerise, Clementine and ESSAIM satellites in orbit for the DGA defense procurement agency. This ongoing partnership enables the French Ministry of Defense to validate innovative satellite concepts using actual spacecraft in orbit.
