credit Astrium

July 5, 2011 defpro.com

Bonn | In the frame of the space programme MUSIS, OCCAR-EA awarded a 9-month contract to the three co-contractors Thales Alenia Space Italia, EADS Astrium France, and Thales Alenia Space France.

MUSIS (MUltinational Space-based Imaging System) is a collaborative programme for surveillance, reconnaissance and observation comprising several European military or dual-use satellite constellations of the next generation and complementing one another. Among these constellations, the space system CSG (Cosmo SkyMed Seconda Generazione) is under development in Italy and will generate radar images; CSO (Composante Spatiale Optique), the MUSIS space component realised under the leadership of France, will acquire optical pictures.

Sponsored by France and Italy, the MUSIS Federating Activities (FA) aim to interconnect the space systems mentioned above and guarantee mutual access by national users. The MUSIS FA Phase B–1 study is concerned with the preliminary definition of a “Common Interoperability Layer” bridging the gap between the national ground segments.

The possible participation of other MUSIS Nations in subsequent phases of these federating activities may be coordinated through the European Defence Agency, in the frame of the “EDA MUSIS Cat B Programme.”

EL SEGUNDO, Calif., June 30, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire

LOS ANGELES AIR FORCE BASE -- The U.S. Air Force successfully launched the first Operationally Responsive Space prototype satellite aboard a Minotaur I launch vehicle at 11:09 p.m. EDT yesterday from Pad 0B at the NASA Wallops Flight Facility, Wallops Island, Va. ORS-1 deployed 12 minutes after launch.

This marks a great achievement by the Space and Missile Systems Center's Space Development and Test Directorate, the Operationally Responsive Space Office and their contractor teams.  ORS-1 is the Operationally Responsive Space Office's first operational prototype satellite and represents the potential of low-cost, tactically focused satellites designed to provide critical battlespace awareness capabilities to the joint warfighter.

"Words cannot express how proud I am of the entire ORS-1 team," said Col. Carol Welsch, SMC/SD Acting Director and ORS-1 Mission Director. "The men and women of the Space Development and Test Directorate, the Operationally Responsive Space Office, and our industry partners of Goodrich, ATK, and Orbital have all worked tirelessly to move forward on the concept of a responsive space capability designed to support the warfighter.  Their teamwork and dedication is simply inspiring."

Rapidly developing and fielding ORS-1 is an important step to demonstrating the possibilities to meet emerging and persistent warfighter needs in operationally relevant timelines.  "Our team was able to develop, integrate, test and launch this system in just over 30 months which is a remarkable achievement," said Colonel Welsch.

ORS-1 was initiated as a result of a requirement from the Commander, U.S. Strategic Command to the ORS Office to support U.S. Central Command.

MADRID, June 22 (UPI)

Spain is on track to become the first European country to have a dual Earth observation system, radar and optical, for both civilian and military use.

Defense Minister Carme Chacon said radar technology installed on the satellite, which is totally of Spanish design and manufacture, will enable up to 100 images of the Earth's surface to be taken per day at a resolution of up to 1 yard.

In three years' time, this capacity will be joined by that of the Ingenio satellite and its optical technology.

"With the Paz and Ingenio satellites, our military will have their own observation systems, thus multiplying our autonomy in terms of obtaining information and better protecting the interests of Spain," she said.

Chacon made her remarks at a formal presentation of the Paz satellite this month.

The presentation ceremony took place at a facility of EADS CASA Espacio, and was attended by the Chief of Defense Staff Jose Julio Rodriguez; State Secretary for Defense Constantino Mendez; and the Secretary-General for Industry Teresa Santero.

Officials from Hisdesat and Astrium Espana were also in attendance.

The Paz satellite was ordered from Hisdesat by the Ministry of Defense at the end of 2007 under the National Earth Observation Plan to meet the operational requirements of the Spanish armed forces.

Hisdesat contracted the design and manufacture of the satellite to EADS CASA Espacio, meaning this is the first time that the Spanish space industry has undertaken the challenge to build a satellite of this size and complexity to be assembled and manufactured entirely in Spain.

Chacon stressed that the Paz satellite, which will be in orbit in 2013, will be able to detect the position of any ship in the world that could possibly become the victim of hijacking through an automatic AIS identification system. It also will enable the tasks of border control monitoring, the verification of international treaties, the monitoring and assessment of natural disasters and environmental control to be carried out more easily and effectively.

"The Paz satellite will multiply the operational capabilities of our armed forces both within and beyond our borders," she said.

Spain's aerospace industry was credited for the innovation that made such progress possible.

"Thanks to the support from the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Industry, Tourism and Trade, we have traveled the long and arduous path to creating a satellite fitted with sophisticated technology that will enable our country to play a very important role in the field of high-resolution satellite imaging," Managing Director of Hisdesat Roberto Lopez said.

Hisdesat said the satellite will be launched from Russia near the end of next year.

The Paz satellite, which has been designed for a 5 1/2-year mission, measures about 6.5 feet in height and about 3.8 feet in diameter. It has a total weight of nearly 3,100 pounds.

Spain's National Institute for Aerospace Technology is responsible for developing the terrestrial aspects of the program, which include control and monitoring stations in Torrejon, near Madrid, and Maspalomas in the Canary Islands, as well as data processing and storage centers.

Jun 22, 2011 By Amy Svitak AviationWeek.com

LE BOURGET - Astrium Space Transportation is pitching a €1 billion ($1.4 billion) missile defense system to the French defense ministry — an unsolicited proposal that would hinge on a successful flight test of the midcourse interceptor the company says could be conducted by 2016.

CEO Alain Charmeau says the flight demo, which would launch and destroy a target at the edge of space during the midcourse segment of the target’s ballistic launch trajectory, would cost €200-300 million.

Speaking to reporters here June 21, Charmeau said Astrium’s proposed missile defense system could be funded as an in-kind contribution to NATO, which last year announced plans to expand its missile defense shield to include Europe.

“France has a chance either to contribute to NATO by buying some U.S. systems, which are the only ones available today, or we have the opportunity to use our existing space technologies in order to contribute in-kind contributions,” says Charmeau, adding that Astrium’s proposal would be delivered to the French armaments agency, DGA, in the coming days.

If successful, the intercept test could lay the groundwork for a broader shield in Europe.

Charmeau says missile defense is one of the top three development priorities for the French defense ministry in the coming years. He is optimistic that missile defense funding will be available despite declining military budgets in France and other NATO-member countries.

“It’s a matter of priorities,” he says. “I believe there is room for missile defense in the next years.”

Charmeau says Astrium’s experience building Earth-observation satellites and missile systems for France makes it well-suited to supply an anti-missile system for NATO. The company’s proposal is modeled after its Spirale early-warning satellite demonstration launched for the French defense ministry in 2009.  

In addition, Astrium space transportation has spent the past 10 years working with U.S. engineering firm SAIC to develop architecture studies for NATO missile defense systems.

“We believe with something around €1 billion you can develop an interceptor program,” Charmeau declares. “We know very well how to send an object [into] space.”

20/06/2011 Domitille Bertrand

Dans le domaine du renseignement d’origine spatiale, la France fait un nouveau pas, en se dotant du portail hôte d’accès au renseignement de l’observation spatiale (Pharos). Il permet de fédérer l’accès aux images de satellites européens d’observation de la Terre utilisés dans le cadre d‘opérations militaires et de renseignement.

« Jusqu’à maintenant, lorsque les forces françaises avaient besoin d’une vue satellite, pour de la veille stratégique ou un besoin tactique, elles en faisaient la demande au centre militaire d’observation par satellites (CMOS), à Creil. Une fois la requête traitée par le CMOS, les images étaient gravées sur DVD puis expédiées au demandeur. Et, pour chaque demande, il fallait analyser sur les segments sol (systèmes qui regroupent tous les moyens nécessaires à l’envoi, à la réception et aux traitements des données échangées entre les satellites et la Terre) des différents satellites, quel serait le meilleur à utiliser, en fonction de leurs heures de passage au-dessus de la zone à observer, des conditions météo et bien sûr du type d’image - radar, infrarouge… - demandé », explique Harold Hoff, architecte-concepteur d’ensemble du programme SSO (segment sol d’observation) à la direction générale de l’armement (DGA).

A partir de juin 2011, les requêtes et les recherches des usagers seront toutes rassemblées sur un système unique : Pharos, le portail hôte d’accès au renseignement de l’observation spatiale. « Parmi les avantages notoires, il faut bien évidemment souligner un gain de temps immense, puisque les images pourront être commandées directement depuis un théâtre d’opération extérieure où elles seront diffusées par voie électronique une fois produites » souligne Harold Hoff. Les données pourront également être archivées et partagées en ligne par toute la communauté Pharos (cette communauté regroupe les différentes armées et les services de renseignement français) reliée au système, ce qui permettra de disposer immédiatement d’images déjà produites ou d’éviter des commandes multiples sur une même zone.

« Simplifier le recours aux images satellites, en fédérant les données »

La France a accès à plusieurs systèmes d’imagerie satellite, systèmes complémentaires aux caractéristiques différentes :

- dans le domaine optique, on retrouve les satellites à très haute résolution Hélios qui seront complétés dès 2012 par le premier des deux satellites Pléiades, système à vocation civile et militaire ;

- dans le domaine de l’imagerie radar, des partenariats ont été mis en place avec l’Italie et avec l’Allemagne pour avoir accès à leurs systèmes nationaux, respectivement Cosmo-SkyMed et SAR-Lupe.

Ces deux systèmes satellitaires ont une même vocation : outils essentiels aux forces, ils permettent d’accéder à des renseignements stratégiques, en obtenant par exemple des éléments sur des positions, des capacités ou des matériels ennemis. Cependant, ils sont très différents : les satellites optiques sont comparables à des appareils photo numériques ultra-performants. Ils ont pour avantage de donner des images exploitables immédiatement, avec pour seule contrainte que l’observation soit réalisée de jour et en l’absence de couverture nuageuse (éventuellement de nuit pour les images infrarouges). À l’inverse, les satellites radar effectuent des prises de vues de jour comme de nuit, quelle que soit la météo sur la zone observée. De plus, ils sont plus difficiles à leurrer. Par contre, l’exploitation des images radar nécessite l’intervention d’un interprète d’images bien entrainé et disposant d’outils (poste d’exploitation) adaptés.

Un système franco-français

Si le cœur du Pharos est implanté lui aussi au CMOS à Creil, 18 cellules distantes sont réparties sur tout le territoire national et 16 cellules sont prêtes à être projetées sur des théâtres d’opérations extérieures. Ces cellules, constituées d’un serveur et d’un poste de travail, sont reliées entre elles grâce à une connexion sécurisée et chiffrée. Plus de 600 Go de données, issues de la production des segments sol, seront intégrées chaque jour dans Pharos. « Dès la fin de la phase finale de vérification prévue courant juin 2011 le porte-avions Charles-de-Gaulle pourra accéder à cette capacité au moyen de la station projetable qu’il a embarquée » ajoute Harold Hoff.

Le portail Pharos sera présenté au salon du Bourget 2011 comme un atout majeur dans le domaine du renseignement d’origine spatiale. Néanmoins, ce dernier né d’un travail commun entre l’état-major des armées (EMA), la DGA et les industriels Cassidian et Astrium (tous deux du groupe EADS) restera bien un système franco-français : « Nous touchons ici au domaine du renseignement ; les images, photos, documents commandés et archivés seront pour la plupart classés secret-défense.  Il en va de la sécurité des forces ! »

16 Jun 2011 By JULIAN HALE DefenseNews

BRUSSELS - The European Defence Agency (EDA) is set to sign an administrative agreement with the European Space Agency (ESA) at the Paris Air Show on June 20 to improve cooperation between the two agencies.

In broad terms, the EDA aggregates security and defense requirements for its 26 member states, while the ESA does the same for civilian requirements for its member states.

The arrangement will include identifying capability gaps that could be filled by space assets in carrying out EU policies (such as Common and Security Defence Capability missions on the military side) and looking at opportunities for pooling and sharing.

"Satellite communications might be an area for pooling and sharing," an EDA official said. "All member states will have to replace them by about 2020. For the conduct of operations, space-based assets are simply essential."

One area that the two agencies will explore is an EU space situational awareness capability.

"This has nothing to do with space weaponization but is about ensuring the safety of European space assets (such as critical infrastructure) from natural or potentially man-made (e.g., space debris) threats," the EDA official said.

For example, space weather (e.g., solar flares) can disturb the functioning of satellites, be they military or civil, said the official.

The official contrasted the idea of developing an EU space situational awareness capability with the development of Galileo, which is a civil system under civil control that may have military users.

"This is the first time (with the EU space situational awareness capability) that the EU has said from the outset that this is a dual-use capability," the official said. "This means that it will serve and be based on the requirements of the civil and military community."

That process, which will also involve the European Commission and the EU's External Action Service, is expected to hit an important milestone in the summer when the EU's political and security committee validates an aggregated set of civil and military requirements in this area.

Another area for potential cooperation is unmanned aerial systems (UASs).

Here, both the EDA and ESA have done feasibility studies on UAS command and control via satellite, and a demonstration mission is expected to be carried out around 2011-12.

The EDA-ESA administrative arrangement foresees the possibility of the two agencies exchanging personnel for specific projects for a limited period of time and for each agency to be invited to the other's high-level meetings, but there will be no shared office or merging of the two bodies.

Other activities of common interest focus on intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, and civil-military synergies in Earth observation and critical space technologies where the EU does not want to be totally dependent on suppliers from outside the EU, an EDA document says.

The background to this effort is a space policy resolution by EU member states in November 2010, in which they invited the commission, the EU Council assisted by EDA, together with member states and ESA "to explore ways to support current and future capability needs for crisis management through cost-effective access to robust, secure and reactive space assets and services (integrating global satellite communications, Earth observation, positioning and timing), taking full advantage of dual-use synergies as appropriate."

Separately, the EDA official said negotiations with Switzerland for an administrative arrangement were ongoing, although there was no date yet for the signing of an agreement.

14 juin 2011 par Optro & Défense

A l’instar des travaux menés par la France dans le cadre du PEA SPIRALE mais dans une autre ampleur, le système d’alerte infrarouge spatiale développé par Lockheed Martin a réussi sa mise en orbite, suite à son lancement de Cap Canaveral (Floride) le 7 mai.

La mise en orbite

L’équipe au sol (US Air Force / Lockheed Martin) aura du piloter 6 mises à feu du moteur d’apogée pour placer ce système d’alerte infrarouge spatial (Space Based Infrared System – SBIRS)  en orbite géostationnaire, comme le montre l’illustration ci-dessous. L’équipe a ensuite commandé le déploiement des panneaux solaires et des antennes du satellite pour activer ses capteurs infrarouges sophistiqués et débuter des essais en orbite.

Le satellite SBIRS est l’un des satellites infrarouges militaires les plus avancés technologiquement. Mis au point pour améliorer l’alerte rapide des lancements de missiles dans le monde entier, il constitue un soutien au système de défense antimissile des États-Unis.

Une succession ambitieuse

Les Etats-Unis disposent depuis plus de 40 ans de cette capacité de détection, notamment avec leurs satellites géostationnaires DSP puis DSP-I (Defense Support Program – Improved). SBIRS a pour objectif de les remplacer non seulement pour accroître la capacité de surveillance des tirs de missile mais aussi obtenir des renseignements opérationnels pour des missions de combat classiques. Le système doit ainsi apporter une réponse à différentes problématiques : alerte missile fiable,  renseignement technique (caractérisation de signatures infrarouges) et appui aux théâtres d’opérations.

Le système met en oeuvre des capteurs matriciels et à balayage très sophistiqués qui offrent une sensibilité améliorée dans l’infrarouge. La nouvelle constellation satellitaire permettra une réduction du temps entre chaque passage au dessus d’une même zone. Le capteur à balayage fournira une surveillance de zones étendues de lancements de missiles et des phénomènes naturels à travers la terre, tandis que le capteur matriciel sera utilisé pour observer les plus petites régions d’intérêt avec une sensibilité supérieure.

Côté programme

L’équipe SBIRS est dirigée par le centre de l’espace et des systèmes de missile de l’US Air Force. Lockheed Martin est le maître d’œuvre du SBIRS, avec Northrop Grumman en tant qu’intégrateur de la charge utile. C’est l’Air Force Space Command qui exploitera le système.

Le contrat initial SBIRS prévoit la commande à Lockheed Martin de deux satellites HEO (à orbite elliptique -classifiée – pour les zones d’intérêt), deux satellites géostationnaires (pour la couverture régionale), ainsi qu’un structure de contrôle au sol pour recevoir et traiter les données infrarouges. Un contrat à venir devrait entraîner la production du troisième et quatrième satellite géostationnaire ainsi que de charges utiles HEO supplémentaires.

Sources :

- communiqué de presse du 24 mai 2011 de Lockheed Martin
- communiqué de presse du 7 mai 2011 de Lockheed Martin
- recent program news du 24 mai 2011 de Lockheed Martin
- fiche technique du SBIRS de l’US Air Force

June 12, 2011 defencenews.in

India's Defence Research and Development Organisation has the technology to develop & place weapons into space. If that is so, then India will be capable of putting it's most advance weapon systems into earth's orbit and then use them to strike targets in Space or on Earth.

India's Defence Research and Development Organisation has the technology to develop & place weapons into space. If that is so, then India will be capable of putting it's most advance weapon systems into earth's orbit and then use them to strike targets in Space or on Earth. Such orbital weapon will also lessen the chance of detection or interception by enemy forces before actual strike.

The DRDO has the technology and building blocks to develop these advance Orbital Weapons. Sources in DRDO have said that, "If we can place a satellite into earth orbit then we can also place weapon into Earth's orbit. But DRDO will not be developing any such weapon, as India is against the weaponisation of space.

Officials at DRDO have said that in the longer term, it is necessary to have that capability but stressed that the Indian programme, if any would be purely defensive in nature.

Last year in February 2010, India's renowned defence scientist and DRDO chief Dr V. K. Saraswat confirmed that India possesses anti satellite technology and that India's Agni-III missile has propulsion system, which can be used to propel a kill vehicle in the orbit.

Space treaty prohibits placing nuclear weapon or weapons of mass destruction in space but it is not against putting weapons into space. The Peoples Republic of China has already violated the treaty by actually killing a satellite in space on 11 January 2007.

So the next step for DRDO is to develop orbital weapons, which could stay in space as long as required while orbiting Earth or Moon and the same can be activated and delivered whenever required.

India is developing a very robust Ballistic Missile Defence System. DRDO's Hyderabad Lab Research Centre Imarat (RCI) has won this year's much coveted 'Silicon Trophy'. The DRDO claims that any nation having Ballistic missile defence system technology should have the technology building blocks to build orbital weapons as well.

Weaponsiation of space is different from militarization of space. India is not against militarization of space. Like many developed countries, who have their military satellites, India is also to launch military satellites in space. This year Indian Navy's Naval Communication Satellites will also go up. Then, a satellite for IAF will be placed in orbit followed by a satellite for the Indian Army. Protecting assets in space will be a great challenge in coming years and that's when the question of Orbital Weapons will arise.

June 9th, 2011 By Spanish Government News DEFENCE TALK

At the presentation of the Paz satellite on Tuesday, 7 June, the Minister for Defence, Carme Chacón, highlighted that, in a few years' time, Spain will become "the first European country to have a dual Earth observation system, radar and optical, for both civilian and military use".

The Paz satellite, which is fitted with radar technology and a very high resolution, was ordered from Hisdesat by the Ministry of Defence at the end of 2007 under the National Earth Observation Plan to meet the operational requirements of the Spanish Armed Forces. In turn, Hisdesat contracted the design and manufacture of the satellite to EADS CASA Espacio, meaning this is the first time that the Spanish space industry has undertaken the challenge to build a satellite of this size and complexity to be assembled and manufactured entirely in Spain.

Carme Chacón explained that the radar technology installed on this satellite, 100% designed and manufactured in Spain, will enable up to 100 images of the Earth's surface to be taken per day at a resolution of up to one metre. In three years' time, this capacity will be joined by that of the Ingeniosatellite and its optical technology. "With the Paz and Ingenio satellites, our military will have their own observation systems, thus multiplying our autonomy in terms of obtaining information and better protecting the interests of Spain", she said.

The presentation ceremony for the Paz satellite, which took place on the premises of EADS CASA Espacio, was attended by the Minister for Defence, Carme Chacón, the Chief of Defence Staff, Jose Julio Rodríguez, the State Secretary for Defence, Constantino Méndez, the Secretary-General for Industry, Teresa Santero, the Managing Director of Hisdesat, Roberto López, and the General Director of Astrium España, Antonio Cuadrado.

Carme Chacón stressed that this satellite, which will be in orbit in 2013, will be able to detect the position of any ship in the world that could possibly become the victim of hijacking thanks to the automatic AIS identification system. Furthermore, it will enable the tasks of border control monitoring, the verification of international treaties, the monitoring and assessment of natural disasters and environmental control to be carried out more easily and effectively.

The Minister for Defence also mentioned the innovation and efforts being made by the Spanish aerospace industry, which has positioned itself among the top five European powers in this field in only a few years, progressing at the same pace as the Spanish Armed Forces. "The Pazsatellite will multiply the operational capabilities of our Armed Forces both within and beyond our borders", she said.

One of the greatest challenges for the Spanish space industry

For his part, the Managing Director of Hisdesat, Roberto López, said that the presentation of the Paz satellite represents a successful response to one of the greatest challenges for the Spanish space industry in recent years. "Thanks to the support from the Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of Industry, Tourism and Trade, we have travelled the long and arduous path to creating asatellite fitted with sophisticated technology that will enable our country to play a very important role in the field of high-resolutionsatellite imaging", he said.

Finally, the General Director of Astrium España, Antonio Cuadrado, highlighted that the Paz satellite will give Spain the ability to observe the Earth at any time, day or night, and in any meteorological conditions. "This programme forms part of the National Earth Observation Plan and consolidates Astrium España as the leading and integrating satellite contractor in our country", he concluded.

Hisdesat has contracted the launch of the satellite with the Russian Dnepr launcher, scheduled for some time at the end of 2012. The satellite, which has been designed for a five and a half year mission, measures 5 metres in height and 2.4 metres in diameter, with a total weight of some 1,400 kilograms.

From manufacture to launch, the Paz satellite will generate 425 highly-qualified jobs in Spain and another 80 jobs once it is in orbit.

The National Institute for Aerospace Technology (Spanish acronym: INTA) is responsible for developing the terrestrial aspects of theprogramme, which include control and monitoring stations in Torrejón ( Madrid) and Maspalomas (Gran Canaria), as well as the data processing and storage centres.

07 June 2011 Thales Alenia Space

Thales Alenia Space España is awarded contracts worth more than 11 million Euros for the European Earth Observation MUSIS program.

The Spanish Company leads the national market in optical observation instruments and is at the foremost position in technology for observation and science missions.

Thales Alenia Space España has been awarded important contracts summing up to a value of more than 7.5 million Euros. These contracts are for the MUSIS program for Earth observation. The company will be entrusted with the design, development, manufacturing, qualification, supply of electronics for the focal plane of the optical instrument (FPPB), and the service module (MSI) for the two first high optical resolution CSO satellites of the European MUSIS program, while having the option of a third one.

The CSO (Optical Space Component) is the French government contribution to the future MUSIS (Multinational Space-based Imaging System) constellation, that will include optical and radar space components. The CSO satellites realization contract has been awarded end 2010 to Astrium by CNES, who was acting as delegate contracting authority on behalf the DGA (Direction Générale de l'Armement). These satellites will replace the current Helios 2 observational system..  Thales Alenia Space France is responsible for the Optical Payload (Instrument) and also will deliver to Astrium, the Solar Arrays, the X-band downlink sub-system and the Encryption Unit."

The Multinational Space-Based Imaging System (MUSIS) is a multinational program carried out by various European countries. The objective is to construct a common space infrastructure by combining national and/or bilateral programs, allowing the collaboration of these nations and providing them with the next-generation of European satellite intelligence systems, substituting their current national platforms. Through this, the contributing countries will reinforce their capacities and autonomy in the issue of surveillance, observation and reconnaissance.

Within the Thales Group, Thales Alenia Space España is considered to be a competence centre with regard to optical payloads of medium resolution (between 5 and 10 meters) used for scientific and Earth observation. The company uses a pioneer optical detection laboratory for the design, development and integration of subsystems for optical detection, allowing precise characterization of image sensor, integration and detection systems tests. Similarly, Thales Alenia Space España is extremely active in various projects, such as the national (Spanish) program of Earth observation INGENIO, the SENTINEL satellites for Europe's Global Monitoring for Environment and Security (GMES) programme, and is currently working on a civil and military satellite for a member state of the NATO, developing the high resolution electronic proximity for optical observation; all adding up to contracts worth more than 30 million Euros.

Juan Garcés de Marcilla, President and CEO of Thales Alenia Space España said: “I am extremely satisfied with the awarding of this contract, it recognizes our ability and leadership in payloads for optical observation, as well as showing the trust which our clients have in our company.” Garcés de Marcilla also said to “feel proud of the excellent competitive development in the exterior market, as it is the competition which allows us to strengthen our collaboration with the largest European space companies, consolidating and placing us at the forefront of the Spanish market in terms of technology for missions of observation and science.”

Jun 06, 2011Moscow (XNA)

Russian Space Agency Roscosmos plans to launch five Glonass-M satellites and one Glonass-K satellite in 2011, Roscosmos' deputy chief Anatoly Shilov said Wednesday.

The first launch of the Glonass-M satellite is scheduled for August and the second is slated for October, Shilov said at a navigation forum here.

The Glonass-K new generation navigation satellite is expected to be launched in December, he added.

"Besides, we are still hoping to carry out a group launch of three Glonass-M satellites atop a Proton-M carrier rocket from Baikonur by the end of the year," he was quoted by Interfax news agency as saying.

The date of the group launch has yet to be determined, he said.

Last December a Proton-M carrier rocket, which lifted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, failed to deliver three Glonass-M navigation satellites to the orbit. The satellites fell into the Pacific Ocean. Investigators later blamed ground crew who had pumped too much fuel into a booster rocket.

Glonass is the Russian equivalent of the U.S. Global Positioning System (GPS), which is designed for both military and civilian use. The system requires 24 operational and 2-3 reserve satellites in orbit to ensure global coverage.

May 31, 2011 ASDNews Source : Sofradir

Paris, France - Sofradir, a leading developer and manufacturer of advanced infrared detectors for military, space and industrial applications, announced today that it has been awarded the contract to provide shortwave infrared (SWIR) arrays for the TROPOMI/S5 - (Sentinel 5 Precursor) mission, as part of the Global Monitoring for Environment and Security (GMES) space initiative. GMES is a joint undertaking of the European Commission and the European Space Agency (ESA).

Under the contract, Sofradir will deliver to SSTL (UK), a worldwide supplier of satellite and space equipment, off-the-shelf 1000x256 SWIR arrays, based on its Mercury Cadmium Telluride (MCT/HgCdTe) technology. Selecting an off-the-shelf model that has proven its performance and reliability has eliminated the need for Sofradir to go through a preliminary design phase, which can involve extensive screening and qualification. This translates into an 18-month saving in delivery time of the flight models. As a result, all deliveries will be completed within 24 months.

Related Research on ASDReports.com:

The Military Electro Optical Infrared (EO/IR) Systems Market 2010-2020: Airborne, Ground and Naval

"This new contract shows that Sofradir has the right infrared products for the space community," said Philippe Bensussan, chairman and CEO at Sofradir. "Repeat orders of our off-the-shelf space-qualified MCT detectors allow us to offer IR products to our space customers at affordable prices with short lead times and minimal risk."

The Sentinel-5-Precursor mission, scheduled for launch in 2014, is intended to fill a time gap between Envisat, an earlier generation of earth observation satellites for climate and environment monitoring, and Sentinel 5, which will be on-board the Post-EPS satellite scheduled for launch around 2019.

ESA funded the original development of the 1000x256 SWIR array for the Spectra mission in 1999. Since then, Sofradir has optimized the design of the focal plane array (FPA) and is presently offering two versions of packaging:

-- the FPA integrated in a dewar with an active cooler

-- the FPA in a hermetic package without cooling system, to be implemented with passive cooling in the satellite.

The SWIR with hermetic package without cooling system was selected because it offered some major advantages in reliability and power consumption. Unlike an active cooler that has moving mechanical parts that can shorten the overall life of the detector, passive cooling significantly increases reliability as it is dependent on the FPA only. Sofradir FPAs are known for their outstanding reliability in harsh environments. For example, Sofradir IR detectors aboard the spaceborne observation satellite Helios IIA have been operating continuously since the 2004 launch. The fully hermetic package with optimized thermal interface minimizes the cooling requirement. Other technological advances at Sofradir have enabled it to produce SWIR detectors that exhibit very high performance at relatively high temperatures (140K, -133oC), which means that they also consume less power.

Sofradir is increasingly being selected to participate in satellite and space missions for earth mapping, environment and disaster monitoring, meteorology and planet exploration. Its MCT IR detectors are in orbit in French military earth observation satellites, Helios IIA and IIB. Sofradir's IR detectors are also being used on ESA's Venus Express satellite (launched in 2005) and the French MoD SPIRALE satellites. All of the detectors are still exhibiting nominal performance. Other space activities include the Japanese space agency (JAXA) SGLI/G-COM (Second Generation GLI/Global Change Observation Mission), where Sofradir's IR detectors are in Flight Model Phase.

In 2010, Sofradir delivered 26 detectors for space programs. Development teams at Sofradir are also working on a 1000x1000 SWIR array partially funded by ESA. This detector has been earmarked as a candidate for several ESA-led projects in the future.

Brussels - 23 May 2011 EDA News

Following a negotiating mandate provided to the Head of the Agency, Ms. Catherine Ashton, by the EDA Steering Board in March 2010, the Council has today approved the Administrative Arrangement between the European Defence Agency and the European Space Agency concerning the establishment of their cooperation.

The Administrative arrangement will be signed by the European Defence Agency (EDA) and the European Space Agency (ESA) at the International Paris Air Show –Paris Le Bourget, on 20 June 2011.

The aim of the Arrangement is to provide a structured relationship and a mutually beneficial cooperation between EDA and ESA through the coordination of their respective activities. The cooperation will aim in particular at exploring the added value and contribution of space assets to the development of European capabilities in the area of crisis management and the Common Security and Defence Policy.

To date, EDA and ESA are cooperating on a variety of subjects, including Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR), Satellite Communication and satellite services for Unmanned Aerial systems (UAS) as well as research and technology.