TIM eMagazine Vol.3 Issue 7
PSLV C42 launch of
NovaSAR-1 and SSTL
S1-4, 16 September
2018.
Credit ISRO/Antrix
a great example of how we are working with the space sector through
our modern Industrial Strategy, ensuring we remain at the forefront of
pioneering science and exploration.”
Minister of State for the Department for International Trade, Baroness
Fairhead, said: “SSTL is a fantastic example of how UK innovation and
engineering can have a global impact. It is clear that our space industry
is thriving, resulting in significant growth which reinforces the UK’s
reputation as a leader in the sector."
Dr Dave Williams, Executive Director of Digital, National Facilities and
Collections at CSIRO, said “Through our share of NovaSAR-1 tasking
and acquisition time we’ll extend the significant role CSIRO – Australia’s
national science agency – already plays in managing a range of national
research facilities. We’ll be making time on NovaSAR-1 available to
Australian scientists. The satellite provides significant opportunities to
support a wide range of existing research, further develop Australia’s
Earth observation data analytics expertise, and create new opportunities
in the field of remote sensing.”
NovaSAR-1 was designed and manufactured by SSTL, with an S-Band
SAR payload developed by Airbus Defence and Space in Portsmouth and
an Automatic Identification Receiver supplied by Honeywell Aerospace.
The SAR payload has a dedicated maritime mode designed with a very
wide swath area of 400km to enable the monitoring of the marine
environment, and will provide direct radar ship detection information
simultaneously with AIS ship tracking data to assist with the identification
and tracking of sea-going vessels. In addition to operating in maritime
mode, NovaSAR-1 has been optimised with three additional imaging
modes, including a six metre resolution imaging mode, for a range of
other applications, such as flood monitoring and agricultural and forestry
applications. The satellite has been designed to offer a high throughput
of data, observing in a variety of polarisation combinations to additional
information to acquisitions in the form of ‘colour’.
SSTL S1-4 satellite is a sub one metre Earth observation satellite
identical in design to the three DMC3/TripleSat Constellation satellites
launched in 2015. A contract to provide data from SSTL S1-4 was signed
with Twenty First Century Aerospace Technology Co., Ltd (21AT) in
February 2018. As manufacturer and owner of the satellite, SSTL will
lease imaging capacity to 21AT for the lifetime of the satellite, designed
to be in excess of 7 years. SSTL S1-4 will contribute sub one metre
resolution image data into 21AT’s existing TripleSat Constellation service,
comprising three SSTL DMC3 satellites launched in 2015. SSTL S1-4 is
capable of acquiring multiple targets in one pass, utilising spot, strip and
mosaic imaging modes and 45 degree off-pointing agility for a range
of applications including urban planning, agricultural monitoring, land
classification, natural resource management and disaster monitoring. The
very high resolution imager on board the spacecraft has been designed
and manufactured by SSTL and will acquire sub one metre resolution
images in panchromatic mode and sub four metre resolution images in
multispectral mode, with a swath width of about 24km.
The systems on board both satellites are being commissioned in orbit
from SSTL’s Spacecraft Operations Centre in Guildford UK. www.sstl.co.uk
SSTL S1-4 at
launch site
NovaSAR-1 on test
at Airbus, Ports-
mouth UK
Credit Airbus
Credit ISRO/Antrix
NovaSAR-1 was designed and manufactured by SSTL, with an S-Band SAR payload developed by Airbus Defence
and Space in Portsmouth and an Automatic Identification Receiver supplied by Honeywell Aerospace. The
SAR payload has a dedicated maritime mode designed with a very wide swath area of 400km to enable the
monitoring of the marine environment, and will provide direct radar ship detection information simultaneously
with AIS ship tracking data to assist with the identification and tracking of sea-going vessels.
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