NEWSBRIEFS – REMOTE SENSING		
		     Oct 2009 | Comments Off on NEWSBRIEFS – REMOTE SENSING
	  			
  
    
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| JAXA and DLR co-operationJAXA and the German Aerospace Centre                                        (DLR) signed a letter of intent concerning                                        mutual cooperation for satellite disaster                                        monitoring. Both parties confi rmed a                                        mutual intention to use JAXA’s ALOS                                        and DLR’s TerraSAR-X – both of which                                        carry a SAR instrument – to improve                                        response to disasters. They will exchange                                        data as required on requests for emergency                                        observations. They also agreed that                                        will start collaborative research related                                        to disaster monitoring. www.jaxa.jp |  |  |  
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|  | USGS adds NASA’s EO-1 satellite      imageryUSGS has expanded its free web-enabled                                        archive of earth observation data by                                        including over 83,000 additional satellite                                        images from NASA’s Earth Observing -1                                        (EO-1) satellite. Both the existing and all                                        future EO-1 imagery will supplement the                                        USGS archive of free, land remote sensing                                        imagery resources. EO-1 sensor data can                                        be previewed and downloaded at no charge                                        via the EO-1 website. www.usgs.gov |  |  
|  | Applanix introduces RapidOrtho 2.0Applanix released RapidOrtho 2.0, a                                        software enhancement for the Digital                                        Sensor System (DSS). It is a complete                                        airborne digital imaging system for fi rst                                        responders and geospatial professionals                                        who need to deliver rapid, highly-accurate                                        ortho-rectifi ed imagery without timeconsuming                                        and expensive ground surveys.                                        A new utility allows to import and convert                                        readily available DEM datasets – including                                        Lidar data – into the RapidOrtho format;                                        this means fi rst responders can utilize any                                        locally-available elevation data for rapid                                        delivery of orthophotos. www.applanix.com |  |  
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|  | UltraCamXp Wide AngleVexcel Imaging GmbH has released                                        UltraCamXp Wide Angle, a new version                                        of the UltraCam large format digital                                        aerial camera system that features a wideangle                                        lens with a shorter focal length. It                                        allows lower-fl ying airplanes to collect data at the same ground sample distance                                        (GSD) as higher-fl ying planes carrying the                                        UltraCamXp, while delivering comparable                                        image quality. www.microsoft.com |  |  
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|  | New aerial images of Australia onlineFugro released a new on-line aerial                                        image service for professional business                                        users such as surveyors, engineers,                                        architects, planners and developers. High                                        resolution imagery of selected areas of                                        Australia can be viewed and purchased                                        via the website www.fugroworld.com                                        and downloaded as a jpeg or ecw file                                        to the desktop. These images are orthorectified to enable customers to display                                        added features like street names and                                        mapped boundaries etc. www.fugro.com |  |  
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|  | NASA Lunar SatelliteNASA reported that its Lunar                                        Reconnaissance Orbiter, or LRO, has                                        successfully completed its testing and                                        calibration phase and entered its mapping                                        orbit of the moon. The spacecraft already                                        has made signifi cant progress toward                                        creating the most detailed atlas of the                                        moon’s south pole to date. Scientists                                        released preliminary images and data from                                        LRO’s seven instruments. www.nasa.gov |  |  
|  | Vietnam’s RS satellite model      completedVietnamese engineers have completed                                        the technical model of the country’s                                        fi rst remote sensing satellite. The                                        Pico-Dragon satellite is expected                                        to be launched between 2010 and                                        2011. The launching of the satellite,                                        whose functions include taking highresolution                                        photographs of natural                                        resources, aiding weather forecasts and                                        monitoring phenomenon like storms,                                        will be a test of Vietnam’s ability to                                        make its own satellites. Made by STI                                        in cooperation with Japan Aerospace                                        Exploration Agency, Pico-Dragon                                        weighs less than two kilograms with                                        10x10x10 centimetre dimensions and                                        will have a life expectancy of around                                        six months. www.vnbusinessnews.com |  |  
|  | ISRO updatesGAGANThe final operational phase of                                                                            the Indian SBAS – GAGAN                                                                            was initiated in June 2009. The                                                                            system is expected to be ready                                                                            for testing in about 18 months.                                                                            The Technology Demonstration                                                                            Phase for GAGAN was                                                                            successfully completed in                                                                            August 2007, as part of which                                                                            eight Indian Reference Stations                                                                            (INRES) were installed at                                                                            eight airports around the                                                                            country. The INRRES are                                                                            linked to the Master Control                                                                            Centre (MCC) near Bangalore                                                                            from where the Indian Land                                                                            Uplink Station (INLUS)                                                                            transmits correction signals                                                                            to the space segment having GAGAN navigation payload,                                                                            which translates these signals                                                                            to the GPS for reception by                                                                            a GPS SBAS receiver.                                                                            The fi rst navigation payload                                                                            is being fabricated and it                                                                            is proposed to be fl own on                                                                            GSAT-4 which is expected to                                                                            be launched later this year.                                                                            Two more payloads will be                                                                            subsequently fl own, one each                                                                            on the geostationary satellites,                                    GSAT-8 and GSAT-12 |  |  
|  | IRNSSIRNSS is expected to be                                            implemented in the next                                            fi ve to six years. The                                            management structure for                                            system implementation has                                            been established and work on                                            the detailed system defi nition                                            (space segment and ground                                            segment) has begun. IRNSS                                            satellites will transmit ranging                                            codes and navigation data                                            in S and L-5 bands. The                                            navigation software and                                            user receiver specifi cations                                            are being fi nalized.                                            The IRNSS constellation                                            will have seven satellites    – three in Geostationary                                            Orbit (GSO) and four in                                            Near-GSO. The spacecraft                                            confi guration has been                                            fi nalized and all the satellites                                            of the constellation are being                                            confi gured identically. A                                            massive procurement strategy                                            has been formulated and                                            procurement of components                                            and strategic materials for ten                                            spacecraft has been initiated.                                            The spacecraft is basically                                            confi gured with I-1K Bus                                            to be compatible for launch                                            onboard PSLV. However,                                            detailed analysis based on a                                            study found that it is possible                                            to launch two numbers                                            of inclined orbit satellites                                    in one fl ight of GSLV. |  |  
|  | GSAT-4In the past year, main structure  of GSAT-4 was delivered and  North, South and equipment  panels have been realized.  Disassembled mode IST and  assembled mode IST has been  completed and the spacecraft  is undergoing thermovac  test. GSAT-4 is planned for  launch by GSLV later this  year and will be positioned  at 82 deg E longitude.  Excerpts from ISRO  Annual Report 08-09 |  |  |  |