IMAGING

India to develop remote sensing satellites with China

India will, for the first time, join hands with China to develop remote sensing satellites. Right from the initial days of its space programme in the 1960s, India had collaborated with the US, USSR (now Russia) and some European countries, but ISRO never had a tie-up with China. Chairman ISRO, Dr. Radhakrishnan said space scientists of the two countries would work together to prepare a roadmap for a series of missions to be implemented together. “A joint team will begin work in the coming weeks and the road map will be ready by April 2015.”

The agreement aims at encouraging cooperation for “peaceful purposes”, and a lot of emphasis will be on research and development, including in communication satellites. “We look forward to it as both the countries are crucial in creating a strong space presence in Asia. There were some steps in 1991, but nothing much happened. This is a concrete step forward,” Radhakrishnan said http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Sirius Pro for use with RTK base stations or NTRIP

MAVinci GmbH and Topcon Positioning Group have announced the latest version of the Sirius Pro surveying UAS (Unmanned Aerial System) is designed to be compatible with existing RTK (Real Time Kinematic) base stations or NTRIP (network transport of RTCM data over IP). www.mavinci.de

Roscosmos active in lifting embargo on sub-metre imagery

Russian’s space agency Roscosmos is actively pursuing a new drive to lift embargo on sub-metre resolution imagery. The defence ministry has strongly advocated resolution restrictions should be monitored by lighter rules. It is also mulling the use of satellite imagery from commercial and satellites and those in overseas. Similarly the Ministry of Economic development is also implementing some measures to encourage lifting of ban on sub-metre imagery. Roscosmos

Satellite imagery to curb illegal mining in UP, India

The Uttar Pradesh, India geology and mining department has mooted the idea of using satellite mapping and remote sensing techniques to tackle the menace of illegal mining in the state. The department has sought approval to use the GIS technique in Mirzapur district as a pilot project to judge the efficacy of the remote sensing technology to curb illegal mining. www.business-standard.com

Boeing to Assist Sky-Watch on Danish UAV Development Project

Boeing and Danish company Sky- Watch have signed an agreement that will enable Boeing to explore assisting the company in its development of a new type of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) under a project supported by the Danish National Advanced Technology Foundation. The goal of the “Smart UAV” project is to develop a new generation of vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) UAVs that will combine the advantages of existing rotorcraft UAVs with those of fixed-wing aircraft for longer range and endurance. www.boeing.com

Drone wireless Internet in New New Mexico by Google

Google is planning to test Internet delivery by drone high above New Mexico in the US. The company asked the FCC for permission to use two blocks of frequencies for the tests, which are scheduled to last about six months and begin in October. They will be conducted above an area of more than 1,400 square kilometers. Google said its application for temporary permission to make the transmissions was needed “for demonstration and testing of [REDACTED] in a carefully controlled environment.” The FCC allows companies to redact certain portions of their applications when they might provide too much information to competitors. www.orbitalcorp.com.au