More is better as SSTL expands the capability of the only spaced-based disaster monitoring system, the Disaster Monitoring
Constellation (DMC), with the successful launch last night of the UK-DMC2 and Deimos-1 satellites. The British built satellites were launched onboard a Dnepr rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 18:45 UTC
on Wednesday, 29th July 2009.
Following confirmation of separation from the launch vehicle, ground stations in Guildford and Spain established contact with UK-DMC2 and Deimos-1 respectively and commissioning of the satellites is now progressing.
Both satellites will bring significant enhancements to the DMC, which
provides Earth observation imagery for a range of commercial and
environmental applications as well as to the International Charter:
Space and Major Disasters. The first satellite in the DMC, AlSAT-1, was
launched in 2002 and with the addition of these further two satellites
the total number of operational DMC “eyes in the sky” has been increased
to six.
UK-DMC2 and Deimos-1 were designed and built by SSTL at the Company’s state-of -the-art facilities in Guildford U.K.. Deimos-1 was manufactured for Spanish customer, Deimos Space, while UK-DMC2 is owned by SSTL and will be operated by the Company’s subsidiary, DMCii. The latest spacecraft continue SSTL’s rapid advances in innovative space solutions with each satellite having ten times the capability of the satellites launched just five years ago.
SSTL’s Chairman, Sir Martin Sweeting, commented: “These latest two
satellites will advance the capability of the DMC, an international
constellation conceived and established by SSTL to provide affordable
Earth observation space assets to all, and continue to demonstrate the
commercial value of space as evidenced by SSTL’s investment in UK-DMC2.
The launch is also timely as the UK Government has just launched the
Space Innovation & Growth Team (IGT) tasked with creating a 20-year
strategy for the space industry that will build Britain’s leadership in
space. SSTL welcomes the initiative and is represented on the team.”
UK-DMC2 and Deimos-1 were launched alongside four other satellites onboard the Dnepr launch vehicle: DubaiSat-1, AprizeSat-3, AprizeSat-4 and Nanosat-1B.
To find out more about UK-DMC2, its future role in disaster relief and Earth observation visit.
