Orfeo (satellite)
Orfeo ( O ptical and R adar F ederation for E arth O bservation ) is the name of an Italian-French satellite program. The program, which was launched in 2006, is used to obtain high-resolution remote sensing data and radar data for dual use (military and civil).
Italy is contributing four satellites from the COSMO-Skymed program , which are equipped with the COSMO-SAR imaging radar . The launches took place from June 2007 to November 2010.
The French contribution consists of two small Pléiades satellites . They carry cameras that achieve a spatial resolution of less than 0.7 m on earth. The first Pléiades-1A satellite was scheduled to go into orbit in April 2011; it was launched on December 17, 2011 with a Soyuz rocket from the European Space Center in French Guiana . The launch of Pléiades-1B then followed in December 2012. The Pléiades satellites were built by Astrium (satellite bus) and Alcatel Alenia Space (payload) in France. They weigh 1750 kg and orbit the earth on a sun-synchronous orbit at an altitude of 694 km. They are designed for a service life of five years.
Web links
- CNES: Pleiades (English / French)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Russian Soyuz rocket launches six satellites into space. In: sputniknews.com. RIA Novosti, December 17, 2011, accessed December 25, 2011 .
- ↑ PLEIADES. In: smsc.cnes.fr. Retrieved April 19, 2013 .