IMAGING

SPOT 7 launched

The SPOT 7 Earth-observation satellite, designed and developed by Airbus Defence and Space, was launched on 30 June by a Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in India. It will now join the orbit in which its twin, SPOT 6, and the very-highresolution observation satellites Pléiades 1A and 1B are located, and will be positioned at 180° in relation to SPOT 6.

Tests scheduled to integrate UAS into the national airspace

Rockwell Collins and the NASA have scheduled risk reduction tests that will eventually enable unmanned aircraft systems UASto safely operate in the national airspace. The NASA-owned Lockheed S-3 Viking and the University of Iowa Operator Performance Laboratory’s Beechcraft Bonanza aircraft will serve as surrogates for UAV during two phases of testing. The first part of the test will demonstrate the ability of unmanned aircraft to hand off communications from one tower to another. The second part of the test will demonstrate the ability of a single tower to communicate to multiple aircraft. The waveform being developed can support multiple channels from a single ground transmitter, enabling multiple aircraft to be simultaneously served, according to local operational needs. www.rockwellcollins.com

BP to fly drone over land in US

US aviation regulators last month gave oil company BP the first commercial license to fly a drone aircraft over land. The Federal Aviation Administration gave BP and unmanned aircraft system (UAS) builder AeroVironment permission to use a drone for surveys of oil exploration and pipeline areas in Alaska’s Prudhoe Bay area.To get permission to fly, the companies must show their drones would not affect security and that they would be in the public interest. A number of public agencies have already been authorized to fly drones for public service purposes, such as for security, rescue or weather forecasting.

India’s PSLV successfully launches French satellite SPOT 7

The Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) has successfully launched the French SPOT-7 imaging satellite. The PSLV vehicle also carried five other small payloads along with the French satellite. This included Canada’s CanX-4 and CanX- 5, Germany’s AISSat-1, and Singapore’s two-satellite experiment VELOX-1. ISRO

New Romanian drone regulation raises questions among users

Romanian authorities have decided that drones weighting less than 150 kilos should be registered and insured before being used in Romania. According to official reasoning, until 2016, the European Union regulations cover drones bigger than 150 kilograms, while those under this weight remain subject to national regulations. The law does not apply to drones with weight under 1 kilogram, unless they have equipment for filming and data transmission. www.romania-insider.com