Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Astrium looking for non-European collaborator on next Earth observation satellite development

Civil and military space systems provider Astrium is currently searching for a new partner outside of Europe for the development of the company’s new geostationary Earth observation satellite called GO-3S. One of the possible countries interested in the GO-3S project is Singapore. As a means of attracting possible associates, Astrium is also offering dedicated capacity and a commission of income from services provided by the satellite.

Gregory Pederson, director of sales and marketing at Astrium, noted that the 10-meter-long, 4.9-ton Earth observation satellite will cover roughly one quarter of the Earth’s surface using a three-meter resolution and a picture rate of five images per second.

The company said that Go-3S could potentially be capable of guiding its field of observation to a target zone in a matter of minutes to send images and video to the ground in real time. Astrium’s new Earth observation satellite is expected to have a lifespan of 15 years. Moreover, featuring a mirror approximately four meters in size able to observe 60 x 60 miles areas, Go-3S will be able to deliver 14 hours of uninterrupted coverage a day.

In a statement, Pederson said that Astrium is seeking partners and investors to work with them on the project, and that the company has already invested research and development money on the GO-3S satellite.

“Singapore for many reasons is one of the main countries interested in this,” Pederson added. “There is potential for technical cooperation and business cooperation. Generally speaking, Singapore is interested in projects that are leading the market. We are creating a new market segment in which an investor can be at the forefront of technology and business. That is something that suits Singapore perfectly.”

Astrium already finished a round of feasibility study on its new Earth observation satellite at the end of 2012, and is currently on the development phase until 2015. The company is expected to commence on manufacturing GO-3S in 2016 and operate it in space starting 2020.

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