Astrium Wins Contract for Two Satellites and Test Facility in Kazakhstan
[Satellite TODAY 10-07-09] Astrium was awarded a contract by Kazakhstan Gharysh Sapary (KGS) to build two Earth observation satellites for the Kazakhstan government and create a joint venture for the construction of an assembly, integration and test facility in Astana, Kazakhstan, Astrium announced Oct. 6.
The two satellites will be a high- and medium-resolution imagery satellite. The high-resolution satellite will be provided by Astrium in France and based on the Theos and Formosat-2 platform. The camera will be based on the silicon carbide technology used on all Astrium optical instrument designs. The medium-resolution satellite will be produced by a collaboration between Astrium and U.K. subsidiary SSTL.
"This new space system will provide the Republic of Kazakhstan with access to a wide range of civil applications including monitoring natural resources and agriculture as well as providing mapping data and rescue operation support in the event of a disaster. It will also put the Republic of Kazakhstan at the forefront of current space technology and complement the country’s space heritage, most famous for the Baikonur spaceport. The images from the Earth observation satellites will also be distributed globally by Astrium’s subsidiary Spot Image,” Astrium CEO François Auque said in a statement.
Astrium also received a contract to provide training to technicians and engineers at Kazakhstan facilities. Financial details were not disclosed.
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