COPUOS Considers Orbital Debris, Planetary Defense, And Space Sustainability Issues

File image: NEO.

by Staff Writers Vienna, Austria (SPX) Jun 28, 2010

Dealing with the troublesome trend in the growth of Earth-circling orbital debris is a major element to ensure the sustainability of space. Moreover, human and environmental security can be maximized by global cooperative use of space systems to benefit all of humanity. These were among the topics highlighted by Secure World Foundation (SWF) during the Fifty-third session of the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS), held June 9-18 in Vienna, Austria.
"In all of our work, we actively promote the development of sound policies to support the long term sustainability of outer space activities and the peaceful use of space activities for the benefit of Earth and its peoples," explained Dr. Ray Williamson, SWF's Executive Director.
Secure World Foundation attended the Committee meeting as a permanent observer.

TanDEM-X Sends Its First Images In Record Time

Even the ups and downs of the waves in the Indian Ocean - coloured pale yellow on the image - are charted by TanDEM-X as it flies over at a speed of seven kilometres per second. Credit: DLR.

by Staff Writers Bonn, Germany (SPX) Jun 28, 2010

Already, with its first image acquisitions, TanDEM-X (TerraSAR-X add-on for Digital Elevation Measurement) has surpassed its twin satellite, TerraSAR-X. On 24 June 2010, only 3 days and 14 hours into the mission, the satellite sent its first image data

back to Earth. The transmission was received by the German Aerospace Center ground station at Neustrelitz and processed to produce images. TanDEM-X looked down from an altitude of more than 500 kilometres above northern Madagascar, Ukraine and Moscow.
Even the ups and downs of the waves in the Indian Ocean - coloured pale yellow on the image - are charted by TanDEM-X as it flies over at a speed of seven kilometres per second. The change in the waves at the entrance to the Diego Suarez Bay is clearly visible.
The water in the bay itself, on the shore of which the provincial capital, Antsiranana, can be recognised, is very flat - in contrast to the undulating ocean - and reflects the radar signals from TanDEM-X more uniformly. The area of valleys to the south drains the volcanic cone of Ambre-Bobaomby into the Indian Ocean.

Use Of Commercial Earth Observation Data To Triple *

Driving this increasing demand is the growing prevalence of commercial high-resolution optical and synthetic aperture radar (SAR) systems, improved image accuracy and reduced data-delivery times, making commercial data suitable for defense intelligence needs, which was not previously the case.

by Staff Writers Paris, France (SPX) Jun 17, 2010

Euroconsult has released a comprehensive study analyzing the mechanisms defense and security agencies will use to satisfy their image intelligence (IMINT) requirements over the coming decade. In its new report "Earth Observation: Defense and Security, World Prospects to 2019," Euroconsult forecasts government procurement of commercial satellite Earth observation (EO) data will reach $2.6 billion by 2019, up from only $735 million in 2009. As governments try to reconcile their increasingly sophisticated IMINT needs with growing budget constraints, agencies around the world are exploring a variety of solutions.
"Defense budgets are under pressure and developing autonomous satellite capacities remains costly, just as commercial Earth observation data is becoming a viable solution for defense and security applications," said Adam Keith, the Montreal-based Director of Earth Observation for Euroconsult.
"This combination of factors will encourage governments to look towards the most cost-effective combination of solutions to meet their IMINT requirements, including development

of dual-use systems, increasing government cooperation to access third-party systems, and purchasing commercial data."
Driving this increasing demand is the growing prevalence of commercial high-resolution optical and synthetic aperture radar (SAR) systems, improved image accuracy and reduced data-delivery times, making commercial data suitable for defense intelligence needs, which was not previously the case.

Use of commercial EO data to increase three times

Publish Date: 17 June 2010
Paris, France: Euroconsult has released a report "Earth Observation: Defense and Security, World Prospects to 2019." The report forecasts that government procurement of commercial satellite Earth observation (EO) data will reach USD 2.6 billion by 2019, up from only USD 735 million in 2009.

As governments try to reconcile their increasingly sophisticated image intelligence needs with growing budget constraints, agencies around the world are exploring a variety of solutions. Adam Keith, the Montreal-based Director of Earth Observation for Euroconsult, said, "Defence budgets are under pressure and developing autonomous satellite capacities remains costly, just as commercial Earth observation data is becoming a viable solution for defence and security applications."

US Army Airship With Unblinking Eye

Northrop Grumman has been awarded a $517 million agreement to develop up to three Long Endurance Multi-Intelligence Vehicle (LEMV) systems for the U.S. Army.

by Staff Writers Melbourne FL (SPX) Jun 15, 2010

A new hybrid airship weapons system, just larger than the length of a football field, will take to the skies in just 18 months to provide an unblinking, persistent eye for more than three weeks at a time to aid U.S. Army troops in Afghanistan, according to Northrop Grumman officials. The company has announced it has been awarded a $517 million ( Pounds 350.6 million) agreement to develop up to three Long Endurance Multi-Intelligence Vehicle (LEMV) systems for the U.S. Army. Northrop Grumman has designed a system with plug-and-play capability to readily integrate into the Army's existing common ground station command centers and ground troops in forward operating bases-the main objective to provide U.S. warfighters with persistent ISR capability to increase awareness of the ever changing battlefield.

Hyperspectral imager to tackle counterinsurgency

Publish Date: 11 June 2010

US: The US Air Force Space Command announced that the TacSat-3 spacecraft, which carries the advanced responsive tactically effective military imaging spectrometer, or ARTEMIS, will be upgraded from an experimental to an operational satellite.

Military remote sensing satellites have traditionally been used on the strategic level, and their capabilities not available to small units. Hyperspectral sensors, already used on some unmanned aerial vehicles, see variations in colours undetectable by the human eye. They can search for disturbed earth where an enemy has buried a roadside bomb, for example.

“ARTEMIS can detect various man-made and natural materials, which adds a fundamentally new capability for the DoD,” said Bill Hart, vice president for Raytheon Space Systems, which manufactures the sensor.

The TacSat experimental satellites are designed to test technologies that can bring field commanders real-time tactical level intelligence. The Operationally Responsive Space Office and the Air Force Research Laboratory designed and operated the TacSat-3 spacecraft for one year before the decision was made to make its data available to field commanders.

Source: National Defense Magazine

GeoEye sells first commercial airport database

Publish Date: 10 June 2010

US: GeoEye delivered the first commercial high-resolution airport database of Kuala Lumpur International Airport to Malaysia Airport Holdings Berhad's Technical Services Division (MAHB). This product meets the new International Civil Aviation Organization's Area-2 and Area-3 reporting requirements and uses IKONOS colour stereo imagery to create 3D models of the airport, terrain and any flight safety obstacles.

Paolo Colombi, GeoEye's Vice President of International Sales, said, "This is the first international sale of a commercial database, but GeoEye has completed over 2,500 databases for government and military customers in the US and overseas."

Dato Abdul Hamid, Chief Operating Officer, MAHB, said, "GeoEye brings extensive market and application knowhow and we will access the best commercial imagery available with the best geo-location accuracy from the GeoEye-1 and IKONOS satellites. Through a subscription service, Malaysia Airports will be kept updated with the latest data, which will help with planning airport operations and improvements to meet long-term requirements, while ensuring that these airports consistently meet aviation safety regulations."

GeoEye's Thornton, Colorado facility produced the database and will deliver 12 quarterly updates to the airport authority through a subscription service. The company generates its airport mapping databases from stereo satellite imagery taken over an airport during a single orbital pass.

Source: GeoEye

US Army Awards Lockheed Martin Contract For Additional PTDS Aerostat Systems

The PTDS is equipped with multi-mission sensors to provide long endurance intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and communications in support of the United States military and its allies.

by Staff Writers Akron OH (SPX) Jun 10, 2010

Lockheed Martin received a $142 million award from the U.S. Army to begin production of additional Persistent Threat Detection Systems (PTDS) to support coalition forces. The Department of Defense is making a concerted effort to rapidly increase the resources available to help warfighters detect improvised explosive devices (IEDs). PTDS is a tethered aerostat-based system, capable of staying aloft for weeks at a time, that provides round-the-clock surveillance of broad areas. The Army began using the system in 2004.
"The PTDS delivers real-time surveillance and actionable intelligence to our troops to help them in life-threatening situations," said Stephanie Hill, Integrated Defense Technologies vice president at Lockheed Martin Mission Systems and Sensors.
"These eyes in the sky protect soldiers and civilians and let the hostiles know that they are constantly being watched."
The PTDS is equipped with multi-mission sensors to provide long endurance intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and communications in support of the United States military and its allies.

A third of Mars once covered by ocean: study

File image of potential water distribution across Mars.

by Staff Writers Paris (AFP) June 13, 2010

A huge, potentially life-giving sea likely covered more than a third of Mars some 3.5 billion years ago, according to a study released Sunday. Spread over an area the size of the Atlantic Ocean, it would have straddled the north pole and contained the equivalent of a tenth of the water on Earth.
For decades scientists have argued as to whether the Red Planet once harboured bodies of water big enough to help nourish a true hydrological cycle marked by evaporation and rainfall.
Recent evidence suggests as much, but doubts remained.
To dig deeper, Gaetano Di Achille and Brian Hynek of the University of Colorodo in Boulder sifted through huge stores of images collected by NASA's Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter (MOLA) in the late 1990s and other more recent European and US satellite-based monitoring systems.
The data was not new, but the researchers were the first to link up all available information on Mars' terrain into a single computer-driven model.

Raytheon Space Sensor Tasked For First-Of-Its-Kind Military Use

File image.

by Staff Writers El Segundo CA (SPX) Jun 11, 2010

Raytheon's hyperspectral imaging sensor known as ARTEMIS is being prepared for a first-of-its-kind tactical military role by the Air Force Space Command. The company's Advanced Responsive Tactically Effective Military Imaging Spectrometer has successfully completed its one-year experimental mission aboard the Air Force Research Laboratory's Tactical Satellite-3. Based on the success of that mission, Raytheon has been notified that the Air Force Space Command will take control of TacSat-3 with the intent to use ARTEMIS in an operational capacity.
"The ARTEMIS hyperspectral imager gives military commanders an important new advantage in the asymmetric battlefield," said Bill Hart, vice president for Raytheon Space Systems. "ARTEMIS can detect various man-made and natural materials, which adds a fundamentally new capability for the DoD."
Unlike visible imagers, hyperspectral sensors capture light across a wide swath of the electromagnetic spectrum, providing unprecedented spectral detail. That spectral information produces a distinct "signature," which can be compared against the spectral signatures of known objects to rapidly identify potential areas of interest.

Tac Sat-3 Completes Groundbreaking Experimental Mission

Originating almost six years ago as part of the Responsive Space Initiative addressing the military's requirements for rapid, flexible and cost-effective systems operating in the cosmos, TacSat-3 served as the premier small satellite project to use a formal payload selection process incorporating combatant commands' suggestions and a flag officer panel appraisal.

by Staff Writers Kirtland AFB NM (AFNS) Jun 11, 2010

Tactical Satellite-3 will transition from an experimental demonstration to an operational asset when spacecraft control authority officially transfers June 12 from the Air Force Research Laboratory's Space Vehicles Directorate here to Air Force Space Command at Peterson AFB, Colo. Launched in May 2009, the 880-pound satellite achieved many milestones such as proving the capability of transmitting processed data to a ground station within 10 minutes of call up.
"It has been a historic mission from the initial rapid checkout to the successful validation of the primary payload ARTEMIS, the Advanced Responsive Tactically-Effective Military Imaging Spectrometer. The small satellite has been able to assist with the earthquake relief efforts in Haiti and Chile and now the team looks forward to its new role in the operational arena," said Dr. Thomas Cooley, TacSat-3 program manager.
"The team accomplished all of the key program objectives," he said, "and the satellite has provided high-quality, information-rich data, which we will continue to exploit for many months to fully quantify the applicability of the imaging spectrometer system to meet a wide range of applications. We also now have an excellent data set, which can be used to inform future satellite acquisitions of spectral systems."
Some of the highlights of TacSat-3's almost 13-month experimental flight included approximately 2,100 image collects performed by the ARTEMIS sensor, inaugural evaluation and employment in space of plug-and-play technology with the AFRL-led Space Avionics Experiment, downloading information obtained from ocean-based buoys to a ground station with the Office of Naval Research-sponsored Satellite Communications Package, and U.S. Army demonstration of tactical concept of operations with a space intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance system.

NASA And DLR To Continue Grace Mission Through 2015

Grace maps gravity-field variations from month to month, recording changes caused by the seasons, weather patterns and short-term climate change.

by Staff Writers Pasadena CA (SPX) Jun 11, 2010

NASA Deputy Administrator Lori Garver and German Aerospace Center (DLR) Executive Board Chairman Johann-Dietrich Worner signed an agreement Thursday during a bilateral meeting in Berlin to extend the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (Grace) mission through the end of its on-orbit life, which is expected in 2015. Launched in March 2002, Grace tracks changes in Earth's gravity field by noting minute changes in gravitational pull from local changes in Earth's mass. It does this by measuring changes in the distance between its two identical spacecraft to one-hundredth the width of a human hair.
These spacecraft, developed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., are in the same orbit approximately 220 kilometers (137 miles) apart.

TanDEM-X Observing The Earth In 3D

Located just a few hundred metres apart, the two German satellites TanDEM-X and the virtually identical TerraSAR-X, which was launched in 2007, will form the first SAR interferometer in space. TanDEM-X is designed for a service life of at least five years and has a planned, overlapping deployment time with TerraSAR-X of at least three years.

by Staff Writers Berlin, Germany (SPX) Jun 09, 2010

The project to "map the Earth in 3D" is now entering its final preparation stage as the German Earth observation satellite TanDEM-X is readied for launch at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. On 21 June, at approximately 04:14:02 CEST, the satellite is due to be launched in to orbit at an altitude of 514 kilometres using a Dnepr launch vehicle. Having moved into the combined operations phase, the launch service provider Kosmotras has assumed responsibility for the satellite hardware from Europe's leading space company Astrium. TanDEM-X is now being integrated into the space head module.
Surveying the Earth in formation flight The TanDEM-X (TerraSAR-X add-on for Digital Elevation Measurement) mission demonstrates once again the world-beating German expertise in satellite-based radar technology: the primary mission objective is to record all the Earth's landmasses in 3D, or to be more precise, create a global digital elevation model with unprecedented accuracy.

Indian Army Chief inaugurates GeoIntelligence 2010

GIS Development: The Global Geospatial Magazine
Publish Date: 02 June 2010

New Delhi, India: India's Chief of Army Staff General VK Singh PVSM, AVSM, YSM, ADC inaugurated GeoIntelligence Asia 2010, the Annual Asian Conference on National Security in New Delhi, India on 2 June 2010. In his inaugural address, the Indian Army Chief observed that India's boundary includes high altitude mountains, deserts and coastal zones and geospatial intelligence has a significant role to play in tackling security threats from the porous boundary. According to the General, it creates situational awareness and helps in precision operation. GeoIntelligence enables forces to work in network-centric environment. Such innovative visual tools multiply forces, said Indian army Chief.

‘Non-navigational GPS Data should be released’

GIS Development: The Global Geospatial Magazine
Publish Date: 31 May 2010

US: The US Military’s GPS satellites also include sensors for the Nuclear Detonation Detection System that watches the world for nuclear explosions. In the process, it collects mounds of environmental data which, in the hands of climate scientists, could add greatly to our understanding of global warming, said Professor Daniel N. Baker, Director of the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, University of Colorado, Boulder.

The non-navigational data, which is designed to observe visible light, high-frequency radio waves, x-rays, and gamma rays, is controlled by national security agencies and treated as classified, even though it isn’t and even though there is no compelling national security reason to do so.

NASA Completes Critical Design Review of One Landsat Instrument

26 May 2010

NASA engineers have begun building hardware for a new Landsat satellite instrument that helps monitor water consumption--an important capability in the U.S. West where precipitation is sparse and water rights are allocated--now that they have passed an independent review of the instrument's design and integration and testing methods.

"Having received the green light on our design during NASA's Critical Design Review, we are moving out on full implementation of our instrument," said Cathy Richardson, the instrument manager of the Thermal Infrared Sensor (TIRS), which will be built at the Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md.

Earth observation conference at ILA

26 May 2010

ESA will host an Earth observation conference at the ILA Berlin Air Show to present how it is responding to the increasing demand for remote-sensing data as decision-makers are faced with environmental change, natural disasters and civil security issues.

As in past years, ESA, the German Aerospace Center (DLR) and the German Aerospace Industry Association (BDLI) will share a joint pavilion in the Space Conference area, Hall 9. The conference, organised by ESA, DLR and BDLI, will take place there on 9 June at 14:00; although participation is free, confirmation of attendance is required.

Old Moon Rover Beams Surprising Laser Flashes To Earth

It looks like a creature from science fiction, but Lunokhod 1 is real. Photo Credit: Lavochkin Association.

by Dauna Coulter
Science@NASA Huntsville AL (SPX) Jun 04, 2010

A Soviet robot lost on the dusty plains of the Moon for the past 40 years has been found again, and it is returning surprisingly strong laser pulses to Earth. "We shined a laser on Lunokhod 1's position, and we were stunned by the power of the reflection," says Tom Murphy of UC San Diego, who leads the research team that's putting the old robot back to work. "Lunokhod 1 is talking to us loudly and clearly."