Imaging

ISRO plans 58 space missions

Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) plans to launch 58 space missions, including sending spacecraft to moon and Mars, an exclusive satellite to keep a round-the-clock watch on the country and deploy 500 transponders in the next five years. The space agency also aims to deploy its own version of the GPS by putting into orbit a constellation of seven satellites which would form the Indian Regional Navigational Satellite System (IRNSS).
The space agency is also designing a special ‘eye-in-the- sky’ – Geo- Imaging Satellite or GISAT – to be stationed 36,000 km above to maintain round-the-clock vigil and assist state authorities to tackle natural disasters, fl oods and forest fires and keep a watch over the country’s sensitive borders.
Missions initiated in the 11th Plan like Chandrayaan-Ii, Astrosat-1 and Aditya-1 are also expected to set forth on their respective destinations into space over the next five years. As part of Chandrayaan- Ii, ISRO plans to land a rover on the lunar surface and put a satellite in an orbit around the moon. The mission is expected to be launched in 2014.
Also part of the 12th Plan is the development of the next generation satellite launcher, the GSLV Mk-IIi, which will help ISRO put heavier satellites into orbit. http://zeenews.india.com/news/

LiDAR technology for land survey in Mumbai

In an attempt to modernise its method of land survey, the BrihanmumbaiMunicipal Corporation’s roads department is now planning to adopt the Light Detection And Ranging (LiDAR) technology for a more accurate mapping of the land surface area. Using this GPS-enabled technology, civic officials and elected representatives will be able to determine where road repairs and constructions are necessary, and identify the nature of structures, such as encroachments, that may be causing bottlenecks. www.expressindia.com

DigitalGlobe unveils Integrated Cloud Services Platform

DigitalGlobe has unveiled its My DigitalGlobe cloud services platform. It unlocks the power of the world’s largest online library of high-resolution imagery by giving customers access to the most current imagery and geospatial information from desktops, portals, intranets and mobile devices around the world. www.digitalglobe.com

GeoEye delivers additional Web Hosting Service Networks

GeoEye, Inc has announced the delivery of new capabilities to the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA). GeoEye’s EnhancedView Web Hosting Service (WHS) is now connected to additional government networks. This new capability will provide warfighters and intelligence analysts around the world easy access to unclassified, high-resolution Earth imagery through classified and unclassified U.S. government networks. http://geoeye.mediaroom.com

China launches 2nd satellite built for Venezuela

China has launched a second satellite built for Venezuela’s government. The remote sensing satellite soared into orbit atop a rocket from the northwestern Chinese province of Gansu. The launch came more than a week ahead of Venezuela’s October 7 presidential election, in which Chavez is seeking another six-year term. The satellite is named after Venezuelan independence hero Francisco de Miranda. www.google.com/hostednews/

South Africa to develop new EO satellite

The Department of Science and Technology (DST) has reported that South Africa is considering constructing a 250 kg to 400 kg Earth observation satellite, as the country’s contribution to the proposed African Resource and Environmental Management satellite constellation (ARMC). The ARMC project was launched, on paper, in 2009 with the signing of a MoU between Algeria, Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa. It is hoped that the ARMC will be composed of at least three low Earth orbit imaging satellites. http:// www.engineeringnews.co.za/article/

Astrium to manufacture 3-m resolution video from geo-orbit

Astrium Satellites said that after five years’ work, it is within reach of being able to manufacture a geostationaryorbiting Earth observation satellite offering persistent 3-meter resolution video for military and civil-security customers. The company said technology development work remains before such a satellite is built, especially since the design effort up to now has been selffunded. Astrium has been shopping the idea to European governments for several years, with no luck so far. http://www.spacenews.com/civil/

Taiwan asks Apple to blur satellite images of “secret” military base

Taiwan is asking Apple to blur a map image of its new $1.4 billion early warning radar station that can detect aircraft and missiles coming from as far as western China. Defense Ministry spokesman David Lo said that Apple should follow its rival Google in using only low-resolution satellite pictures to show sensitive facilities. http://www.cbsnews.com/

Satellites keep an eye on Dutch dikes

In the Netherlands, local authorities are looking to satellite observations as a promising option for dike monitoring and to protect against dike failures. Cut off from the Wadden Sea by a causeway, the shallow IJsselmeer lake is lined by dikes that protect the surrounding land from rising water levels. In a recently completed Terrafirma study, the IJsselmeer dikes were checked using Envisat radar data for the period 2003–10. Results show that a large stretch of the dike near the town of Medemblik is subsiding up to 5 mm per year. http://www.esa.int/esaEO/