Airbus plans the launch of two high-resolution imaging satellites for Poland

European-based Airbus Defence and Space has signed a contract with Poland to develop and launch two optical Earth observation satellites. The contract will cover the development of a Direct Receiving Station in Poland, launch services, training for the Polish team, and maintenance and technical support for the space and ground systems.

The agreement also covers the delivery of very high-resolution imagery from the Airbus Pléiades Neo constellation. The Pléiades Neo constellation has been operating in orbit with two satellites since 2021.

“This contract will provide Poland with one of the world’s most sophisticated satellite Earth observation systems,” said Jean-Marc Nasr, head of Space Systems at Airbus, in a company press release. “It strengthens Europe and gives the Polish nation a truly sovereign space capability. We look forward to further developing our cooperation with Poland under the umbrella of the strategic partnership between France and Poland.”

Following the launch of the satellites from the European Space Centre in Kourou, French Guiana, imagery will be received in Poland.

The satellites' assembly, integration, and tests will be carried out by Airbus in Toulouse, France, and the launch is planned by 2027.

Poland will gain access to Pléiades Neo imagery directly from Airbus sometime this year.

GPS satellites reach 200 collective years of operational life

The U.S. Air Force's fleet of Global Positioning System (GPS) Block IIR and IIR-M satellites, manufactured by Lockheed Martin, have reached 200 collective years of operational life. These 20 satellites -- about two thirds of the current GPS constellation - help deliver precise positioning, navigation and timing services to more than one billion global military, civilian and commercial users every day.

Originally launched between 1997 and 2009 to add capabilities to the GPS constellation and to replace other aging satellites, the 12 GPS IIR and eight IIR-M satellites have maintained an unprecedented availability record of 99.96 percent. That represents only 10 minutes of down time per satellite during all their years of operation.

The GPS IIR and IIR-M satellites were designed to last 7.5 years, or collectively about 150 years. All 12 IIR satellites are currently operating beyond their design life with the oldest operating for more than 16.5 years. Three of eight GPS IIR-M satellites have surpassed their expected life span and all satellites will have done so in 2017.

GPS III

To meet evolving GPS user demands, Lockheed Martin is already developing the next generation GPS III satellites. These satellites will deliver three times better accuracy, provide up to eight times improved anti-jamming capabilities, and include enhancements which extend spacecraft life to 15 years, 25 percent longer than the newest Block IIF satellites. GPS III will be the first generation of GPS satellite with a new L1C civil signal designed to make it interoperable with other international global navigation satellite systems.

Thirty imaging satellites planned by India

India plans to build a new satellite ground station in Hyderabad by June next year and launch no less than 30 Earth imaging satellites over the next decade, reports Press Trust of India (PTI).

The National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC), part of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), manages the country’s remote sensing satellites. The satellites are used to study water resources, agriculture, mineral exploration, mapping and urban area studies.

In July, India launched the Cartosat-2B satellite from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota. Cartosat-2B is the 17^th satellite in the Indian Remote Sensing Satellite series. It is capable of imaging with a resolution of better than one meter (three feet). Future plans show India launching a series of Cartosat satellites with 30-centimeter (11-inch) resolution.

NRSC has its own ground station at Shadnagar, 60 kilometers (37 miles) south of Hyderabad, to collect satellite data from the Indian Remote Sensing satellites and other foreign satellites.

With the new ground station planned in Hyderabad and a series of new satellites, the NRSC could deliver imagery to a customer within 12 hours compared to current service which could take four to five days.