Monthly Archives: May 2015
Improving the Economics of Space through Greater Access
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Surrey Satellite Technology U.S. (SST-US) is an offshoot of the UK-based company that has now begun manufacturing satellites in its Denver-based offices to more efficiently address the U.S. market. Earth Imaging Journal spoke with John Paffett, CEO of Surrey Satellite U.S., about its continued mission to change the economics of space. Their recent development of the FeatherCraft platform, alongside partners NanoRacks and Aerojet Rocketdyne, takes advantage of the ease of deploying satellites from the International Space Station, adding propellant to increase the utility and life expectancy of a 100-kilogram-class satellite platform.
After Quake, Engineer in Khatmandu Describes What Fell Down, or Didn’t, and Why
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Kit Miyamoto, a structural engineer fresh from five years rebuilding Haiti, spoke with Andy Revkin of The New York Times Dot Earth blog after a day inspecting Kathmandu damage zones.
Earth Observation Industry Alliance Looks Forward to Further Proliferation
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The Earth Observation Industry Alliance (EOIA) was at the International Space Symposium talking to commercial space companies about the future of Earth observation. Earth Imaging Journal spoke with Dennis Jones, chairman and president of EOIA, about the outlook for Earth observation. The goals are to promote favorable policy, a corresponding regulatory environment that's less restricting and more supportive of new companies, and a larger government budget to support observation missions.
Airbus Defence and Space Brings Laser Communications to Earth Observation
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Earth Imaging Journal spoke with Jörg Herrmann, head of business development for the EDRS SpaceDataHighway Programme at Airbus Defence and Space, at the recent International Space Symposium. This laser-based data-relay system provides high-speed, near-real-time data transfer for Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites and airborne (unmanned/manned) platforms (UAS).
Ball Aerospace Delivers Science-Driven Sensors
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Ball Aerospace is a unique entity that delivers imaging instruments as well as full satellites, bringing scientists and engineers together to optimize sensor and spacecraft design. Earth Imaging Journal spoke with Tim Holden, director of advanced systems at Ball Aerospace, about sensor development, the commercialization of space and opportunities in remote sensing with increased temporal revisits.
Environmental Applications Hold Promise for Ball Aerospace
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Ball Aerospace has been involved with the commercial and government sides of Earth-observation satellites for some time, including instrument and satellite construction for DigitalGlobe as well as the primary imager for the Landsat 8 satellite. Earth Imaging Journal spoke with Cory Springer, director of weather and environment at Ball Aerospace, about the prospects for environmental monitoring, the need to continue the data record for the Landsat program, the CAVIS instrument on DigitalGlobe’s WorldView-3 satellite that removes the impact of weather on the image, and the motivating role of the International Space Symposium.
Airbus Defence and Space Launches WorldDEM DTM
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Airbus Defence and Space released its global elevation model that was captured by the twin TerraSAR-X and TanDEM-X radar satellites in 2014 and now is producing Digital Terrain Models based on this dataset. The 12-meter-resolution pole-to-pole elevation data are a major improvement upon the commonly used 30-meter USGS SRTM data. Earth Imaging Journal spoke with Gertrud Riegler, WorldDEM Product Manager, Airbus Defence and Space, at the International Space Symposium about this new dataset and its many uses.
Harris Tracks and Responds to Earth Observing Transformations
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Earth Imaging Journal spoke with Bill Gattle, vice president and general manager of national systems at Harris, with responsibility for space and intel business (commercial and government) as well as geospatial, imagery and Earth-observing technologies. We spoke about sensing, processing and providing actionable information to the marketplace. The accessibility of space, commercialization of sensors and high-powered analytics is transforming the market and expanding the applications and insights.
Exelis Aims at Small Satellite Sensor Development
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Earth Imaging Journal spoke with Craig Oswald, account manager for remote-sensing commercial markets at Exelis. We spoke about the smallsat market as well as maintaining high imagery quality while riding the faster, better, cheaper wave as Earth-observation satellites continue to proliferate.
Miyamoto Relief’s Kit Miyamoto Assesses Infrastructure After Nepal Earthquake
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Kit Miyamoto, the CEO of Miyamoto International and nonprofit Miyamoto Relief, reports from Khatmandu, Nepal, where he has been assessing the earthquake's damage to local infrastructure.
