IMAGING

Converts static scans into immersive 360° imagery

NavVis can now automatically convert E57 point cloud files into interactive, realistic 360° walkthroughs, following the latest software upgrade to IndoorViewer. It is a web-based application that displays realistic digital twins using 360° panoramic images, point clouds and maps generated by 3D scanning devices. Users can move around digital twins of scanned spaces as if they are on site and use the interactive functionality to add, search for and route to geo-tagged information and take accurate measurements.

The intuitive user interface and functionality has made NavVis IndoorViewer a valuable deliverable for laser scanning professionals who want to extend the use of point clouds beyond BIM models and building plans to a wider range of building stakeholders who would also benefit from 3D scan data. www.navvis.com

Russia to launch egyptian remote sensing satellite

Russia will launch an EgyptSat-A earth remote sensing satellite on a Soyuz-2.1b carrier rocket on December 27, a source in the Russian space industry told Sputnik.

The EgyptSat-A is being built by Russia’s Rocket and Space Corporation Energia (RSC Energia) for Egypt’s National Authority for Remote Sensing and Space Sciences under a deal worth $100 million.

“Roscosmos has approved December 27 as the launch date for the earth remote sensing satellite built by RSC Energia under a contract with Egypt,” https://sputniknews.com

KhalifaSat successfully launches into space from Japan

The most sophisticated satellite built by the UAE was successfully launched from an island off the southern tip of Japan this morning, in a new landmark for the country’s space programme. KhalifaSat, the first satellite designed, tested and manufactured entirely by Emirati engineers, was designed and built at the Space Technology Laboratories, at the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre in Dubai.

Its role will be to beam high-quality images to the ground station in the emirate. The pictures will help governments and private companies across the globe with climate changes, disaster relief, urban planning, and more.www.thenational.ae

Vietnam to launch MicroDragon earth observation satellite

MicroDragon, a miniaturized satellite developed by Vietnamese engineers, is scheduled to be launched in December with the assistance of Japan. The launch was announced on October 18 by the Vietnam National Space Center (VNSC), as part of a joint Vietnam-Japan project on disaster and climate change prevention using earth observation satellites.

According to VNSC Deputy Director Vu Anh Tuan, the project has helped establish a disaster warning, resource management, and environmental monitoring system by developing the infrastructure of the VNSC and transferring satellite manufacturing technology. Vietnam’s earth observation satellite is expected to provide imagery of a specific area within 6-12 hours, compared with at least two days when ordering from a satellite imagery provider.

The satellite will be used as a tool to help with preventing and mitigating the impact of natural disasters and climate change as well as managing natural resources. Prior to MicroDragon, Vietnam had previously built PicoDragon, weighing 1 kilogram and was launched into orbit in November 2013. In the future, Vietnam plans to manufacture LOTUSat-1 and LOTUSat-2, two radar satellites weighing approximately 600 kilograms each. www.satellitetoday.com

Saudi Arabia completes SaudiSat-5 RS satellites

King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) of Saudi Arabia has completed the development and manufacture of the SaudiSat-5A and SaudiSat-5B remote sensing satellites. Both are the second generation of Saudimade Earth observation satellites, replacing the SaudiSat-2 (launched in 2004) and SaudiSat-3 (launched in 2007) remote sensing satellites that were also manufactured by KACST, SpaceWatch.Global reports.

The two 200 kg high-resolution Earth observation satellites are to be launched later this year from China, via a Long March 2D launch vehicle from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in the Gobi Desert.

The SaudiSat-5 satellites will be used to provide high-resolution images of the planet’s surface from low-Earth orbit, and will help with urban planning, monitoring movements and changes on the Earth’s surface. They should also provide Saudi government agencies with services – in particular high-resolution satellite imagery. https://gbtimes.com

Maxar technologies’ digitalglobe partners with vodafone

DigitalGlobe, a Maxar Technologies company has announced the release of Sensing4Farming, an Internet of Things (IoT) product for smart, digital and precision agriculture created in partnership with Vodafone Spain, part of Vodafone Group, one of the world’s largest telecommunications companies. Sensing4Farming provides crucial insights about crop health to farmers, agronomists, and agrobusinesses via computer, mobile phone or tablet to optimize agriculture productions. www.DigitalGlobe.com.

Government of Canada to invest $7.2 million in exactEarth

exactEarth Ltd., a leading provider of Satellite-AIS data services has announced that the Government of Canada (“GoC”) will make an investment of $7.2 million over three-years to support the development, management and expansion of exactView RT, the Company’s real-time Satellite-AIS service. The investment is being made through the GoC’s Strategic Innovation Fund (“SIF”), a program designed to support businesses across all sectors of the economy by encouraging R&D that will accelerate the commercialization of innovative products, processes and services and will facilitate the growth of innovative firms. investors.exactearth.com

senseFly and IN-FLIGHT Data join forces

IN-FLIGHT Data, in collaboration with senseFly, completed North America’s first urban BVLOS UAS (drone) project in a major city. The project, carried out in the city of Calgary, Alberta, was commissioned to collect mapping data to support the development of a new graveyard site, the city’s first new cemetery since 1940.

The mapping of the area, completed using a senseFly eBee Plus fixed-wing drone, saw IN-FLIGHT Data’s team conduct a total of 414 km (257 mi) BVLOS operations at an average distance of 2.35 km (1.46 mi) from the pilot, and began as part of IN-FLIGHT Data’s wider BVLOS UAS operations trial earlier this year.

Restricted ground access to the site meant that remotely launched drone operations were the obvious option. Since the site was situated near a protected nature reserve and bird sanctuary, drone use also minimised the project’s environmental impact, negating the need to drive vehicles onto the site and disturb wildlife

Raytheon delivers first SeeMe satellite to DARPA

Raytheon Company has delivered the first Space Enabled Effects for Military Engagements, or SeeMe, satellite to DARPA. Assembled on the company’s advanced missile production lines, the new SeeMe satellite will provide greater situational awareness to soldiers on the ground. DARPA’s SeeMe program is designed to show that small satellites can be built affordably to give small squads timely tactical imagery directly from a small satellite. A future constellation of small satellites would deliver high-resolution images of precise locations of interest to the soldier’s handheld device. raytheon.com

For India’s second moon mission, isro tests cryogenic engine

India successfully tested the cryogenic engine for the heavy rocket that would launch the country’s second moon mission on January 3, 2019, the space agency said.

“The cryogenic engine of the Geo Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV MKIII) in the upper stage has been tested for the Chandrayaan-2 Mission,” said the state-run Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) in a statement here.

The crucial test was conducted recently for 25 seconds at the space agency’s propulsion complex in Tamil Nadu’s Mahendragiri, 685km southwest of Chennai.

The second lunar mission will be launched from the rocketport at Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh, about 90km northeast of Chennai, with a lander and rover a decade after the first moon mission in October 2008 around its orbit. www.ndtv.com/

Australian space agency signs MoUs with counterparts in Canada, UK

The Australian Space Agency has formally entered into Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with counterpart agencies in Canada and the United Kingdom, as part of the Australia’s plan to launch a “vibrant new space industry”, according to a press release from the Department of Industry, Innovation and Science.

These MoUs will “help all three nations develop their respective space programs and take advantage of the rapidly-expanding global space industry,” said the press release.

It is also investing more than $260 million to develop world-leading core satellite infrastructure and technologies, including better GPS for Australian business and regional Australians and improved access to satellite imagery. www.spacetechasia.com