Tech
SSTL confirms the successful launch
of NovaSAR-1 and SSTL S1-4 satel-
lites
S
urrey Satellite Technology Ltd (SSTL) has confirmed
the successful launch of two satellites, NovaSAR-1,
a Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellite, and SSTL
S1-4, a high resolution optical Earth Observation
satellite. The two satellites were launched into a
580km sun-synchronous orbit on board the PSLV
launch vehicle from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre
in Sriharikota, India on 16 September at UTC 16:38 by
Antrix Corporation Limited, the commercial arm of
the Indian Space Research Organisation.
Sir Martin Sweeting, Executive Chairman of SSTL,
said “I am pleased to confirm that successful contact has been made with
both satellites and they are in good health. I would like to thank the
Indian Space Research Organisation and Antrix for a successful launch
which achieves our long-held ambition to deliver low cost SAR remote
sensing capabilities and services to our global customers and enhances
our Earth observation capabilities with a sub one metre optical mission.”
NovaSAR-1 is the first SAR spacecraft to be manufactured entirely in
the UK and is a technology demonstration mission designed to test the
capabilities of a new low cost S-Band SAR platform. NovaSAR-1 will be the
60
world’s first commercial SAR satellite to be operated at a 10:30 equator
crossing time, providing time diversity for radar observations by affording
increased daylight imaging opportunities in addition to night acquisitions.
Synthetic Aperture Radar is a powerful tool for monitoring the Earth from
space due to its ability to see through clouds and image the Earth night
and day, and a constellation of three NovaSAR satellites could image any
point on the globe every day, regardless of local time or weather.
Mission partners signed up for capacity from NovaSAR-1 include the
UK Space Agency, Australia’s Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial
Research Organisation (CSIRO), and the Indian Space Research
Organisation (ISRO).
The UK Space Agency has invested £21M in the development of
NovaSAR-1 and will benefit from access to data from the spacecraft,
significantly boosting the UK’s sovereign Earth observation capabilities
and leveraging additional inward investment to the UK by creating highly
skilled jobs in the UK space industry, and stimulating the growth of data
analysis services.
Science Minister Sam Gyimah said: “The data from this satellite, backed
by a £21 million investment from the Government, will help innovative
start-ups develop new apps that could revolutionise the way we live. It’s