GeoScan Forum to Explore Earth Observation Hosted Payload on Iridium Next

[Satellite TODAY 03-21-11] GeoScan is forming plans for a potential global Earth-observation network using hosted payloads on Iridium’s next-generation satellite constellation, Iridium Next, the mobile satellite service provider announced March 16.
    This GeoScan program is an initiative to host an integrated array of scientific sensor suites as 4-kilogram small payloads, or SensorPods, on Iridium Next. The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) will host a National Science Foundation-sponsored forum in Annapolis, Md., in April to discuss the technology with the geosciences community.
    “Placing SensorPods on Iridium Next is an innovative concept that would enable unparalleled visibility into Earth’s atmosphere and space, providing an assessment of the impact of pressing scientific challenges, such as climate and atmospheric changes, that was never before possible,” APL Senior Scientist Lars Dyrud said in a statement.