IMAGING

Russia to launch New Resurs-P Satellite on March 12

The launch of Russia’s Resurs-P No. 3 remote sensing satellite has been scheduled for March 12, the Russian Space Systems (RSS) company said.

The Resurs-P satellites possess hyperspectral and stereo spectral image recording capabilities with an accuracy of up to 10-15 meters (30-50 feet). The new Resurs-P No. 3 has been under construction since 2012. http://sputniknews.com

Saudi Arabia to launch remote sensing satellite from China

King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) is working to complete preparation of the components of the Saudi satellite (Saudi SAT 5B) which is locally made, in preparation for its launch, via the Chinese space rocket (Long March 2D) to support remote sensing services in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

This came in the framework of the cooperation between the Kingdom and the Republic of the People’s Republic of China in various fields, including scientific field, which also includes the establishment of a project on genetics studies. http://susris.com

IBM and NRSC signed MoU

Indian Bureau of Mines (IBM) and National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC) recently signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for monitoring mining activity through satellite technology. The MoU helps in the sustainable development and responsible use of precious mineral resources and also checking any anomalies in mining activities by licensee. As part of the MoU, the IBM would set up an exclusive remote sensing cell under the technical guidance of the NRSC at its offices in Nagpur and Hyderabad. These cells utilise Bhuvan-based services for monitoring mining activities across the country. A mobile application will be developed for field data collection to verify ground realities with respect of approved proposals. The NRSC would carry out a pilot project to demonstrate the feasibility of using high resolution satellite imagery in monitoring the changes over a period of time in select group of mines. www.jagranjosh.com

Aerial Photomap Production with Microsoft UltraMap by Bluesky

Aerial mapping company Bluesky has revolutionised the production of aerial photography, reducing the time taken to process the terabytes of data captured by more than 75 percent. Following a major research project, the team at Bluesky’s Leicestershire production facility has implemented a Vexcel UltraMap system, which has allowed for the introduction of a continuous, uninterrupted processing workflow. By investing in an entirely new workflow, Bluesky has also improved the quality of the aerial images, reducing “building lean” and image distortion, and the accuracy of its digital height models. Bluesky’s investment in software follows the recent purchase of two UltraCam Eagle cameras, also from Microsoft, and the introduction of new flying practices. www.bluesky-world.com

Private-sector space rocket industry heads toward launch in Japan

The government is to create a framework to promote private-sector investment in the space rocket industry while protecting the public interest, setting rules on technical specifications and on operators’ liability in the event of an accident, according to Kyodo News. Under the Basic Plan on Space Policy set in early 2015, the government aims to expand the size of the space industry to around ¥5 trillion over the next decade. The government would also oblige companies to pay compensation in the event of accidents. Victims would receive government compensation if private operators are unable to cover all the damages, according to the drafts.

Currently, the only entity that has a space program is the state-sponsored Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency. Meanwhile, under the Satellite Remote Sensing Act, the government can limit usage of high-precision images captured by satellites to address security concerns. www.japantimes.co.jp

China launches most advanced remote sensing satellite into high orbit

In its last space mission of 2015 China has launched its most sophisticated Earth observation satellite to date, Gaofen-4. It is to become the country’s first highde finition satellite in geosynchronous orbit. It is the fifth mission in China’s Gaofen (“High Definition”) series launched under the China Highde finition Earth Observation System (CHEOS) program. The program was launched in 2010 and has between seven and 14 satellites considered for launch between 2013 to 2020. Unlike most Earth-observation satellites, Gaofen 4 will operate from a high geosynchronous orbit, allowing it to continuously monitor the same area. It can direct its visible light and infrared cameras on an area about 7,000 km by 7,000 km, which includes China and its surrounding region. https://www.rt.com

India to set up ground satellite station in Vietnam

New Delhi would soon activate a ground satellite station in Vietnam, the Vietnamese Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment has said that this is a project for “establishing stations for probe, satellite data collection and remote sensing data processing facility for ASEAN,” based in Vietnam, in the framework of cooperation between ASEAN and India.

MoU between India, Kuwait in area of outer space

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and Kuwait Institute of Scientific Research (KISR) on cooperation in the exploration and use of outer space for peaceful purposes.

The MoU will enable pursuing potential interest areas in both cooperative and commercial mode such as use of data from Indian Remote Sensing (IRS) satellites by KISR for initiating a few research and application projects; training; and building and launching of remote sensing and communication satellites on commercial terms.

The MoU will lead to setting up of a Joint Working Group, drawing members from ISRO and KISR, which will further work out the plan of action, including the timeframe and the means of implementing this MoU. www.business-standard.com

Diwata-1 satellite will be deployed from ISS on april 2016

Diwata-1 is result of the cooperation between DOST, University of the Philippines, Hokkaido University and Tohoku University. Satellite was designed under program by Hokkaido University and Tohoku University which assumes launching fifty remote sensing nanosatellites until 2050. Main objective of program is using satellites for monitoring natural disasters in South East Asia. Program is based on partnership different research institutes, universities and government agencies from Bangladesh, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Mongolia, Philippines, Thailand , and Vietnam. Diwata-1 is first from two satellites which will be commissioned by government of Philippines and its Department of Science and Technology. It is also part of Philippine Scientific Earth Observation Micro-Satellite (PHLMicrosat program started in December 2014) Program and third Philippine satellite in history- first two, Agila-1 and Agila-2 were operated by private companies. https://en.wikipedia.org

Commitments for WorldView-4 Satellite Capacity

DigitalGlobe, Inc. announced its third customer commitment for direct access capacity on the WorldView-4 satellite, which is expected to begin commercial operations in early 2017 following its launch in September. Since the end of the third quarter of 2015, DigitalGlobe has received contracts and letters of intent from international defense and intelligence customers totaling $335 million for capacity on WorldView-3 and WorldView-4, representing $38 million of incremental annual revenue starting in 2017.