Resourcesat-2, Youthsat, X-Sat functioning satisfactorily

File image.

by Staff Writers Bangalore, India (PTI) Apr 27, 2011

The country's latest remote sensing satellite Resourcesat-2 and two micro satellites launched by home grown PSLV-C16 rocket on April 20 from Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh ''are functioning satisfactorily'', ISRO said. "All three satellites were placed in the targeted orbits with high precision," the Indian Space Research Organisation said in a statement here.
In its 17th consecutive successful flight, PSLV-C16 injected Resourcesat-2, Youthsat and X-sat (of Nanyang Technical University, Singapore) into polar sun synchronus orbit on Wednesday last.

Missile Warning Satellite Encapsulated in Launch Vehicle Payload Fairing

Shown here is the first geosynchronous (GEO-1) Space Based Infrared System (SBIRS) missile warning satellite during fairing encapsulation in preparation for an early May launch from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla.

by Staff Writers Cape Canaveral FL (SPX) Apr 27, 2011

The first Lockheed Martin-built Space Based Infrared System (SBIRS) geosynchronous (GEO-1) spacecraft was encapsulated into its payload fairing April 20 in preparation for an early May liftoff aboard an Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla. SBIRS GEO-1 will enhance the nation's missile warning capabilities and improve other critical mission areas simultaneously including missile defense, technical intelligence and battlespace awareness.
The GEO-1 satellite includes highly sophisticated scanning and staring sensors that will deliver enhanced infrared sensitivity and a reduction in area revisit times over the current constellation.
The scanning sensor will provide a wide area surveillance of missile launches and natural phenomena across the earth, while the staring sensor will be used to observe smaller areas of interest with enhanced sensitivity.
When GEO-1 is launched, declared operational and its data is fused into the current constellation, SBIRS will deliver unprecedented, global, persistent, taskable infrared surveillance capabilities to the warfighter, nation and allies for decades to come.
The SBIRS team is led by the Infrared Space Systems Directorate at the U.S. Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center. Lockheed Martin is the SBIRS prime contractor, with Northrop Grumman, as the payload integrator. Air Force Space Command operates the SBIRS system.

source:  http://www.spacewar.com

New land maps available in time for spring

29 March 2011
ESA is making land data maps of Europe and Africa available to the public online in near-real time. The maps target land activities that are of particular interest to the agriculture and food-security user communities.

The Culture-MERIS service demonstration – based on data from Envisat’s Medium Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MERIS) at a resolution of 300 m – is updated every Wednesday with data acquired Monday to Sunday of the previous week. Users are able to download maps for selected countries or regions at no cost here: ftp://culturemeris:culturemeris@ionia2.esrin.esa.int
(User and Password are both ‘culturemeris’). 

source: http://www.esa.int/esaEO/SEM9LD6UPLG_index_0.html