Tag: ESA

EGNOS awarded by aerospace academy

News from the European Space Agency

The multi-agency team behind the ESA-designed EGNOS augmentation system — making it possible for European aircraft to safely rely on satnav signals — has received a prestigious award from France’s national aerospace academy.

As our region’s own satellite-based augmentation system (SBAS), the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS) improves the precision of GPS signals over most European territory, while also providing continuous and reliable updates on their integrity.

Didier Flament, heading ESA’s EGNOS and SBAS Division, joined Mariluz de Mateo of Spain’s ENAIRE air traffic management agency, working on Europe’s Single European Sky Traffic Management Research (SESAR), and Jean-Marc Pieplu, overseeing EGNOS exploitation at the European Global Navigation Satellite System Agency (GSA) in receiving Vermeil Medals from France’s Académie de l’Air et de l’Espace in Toulouse.

The medals were awarded to the trio during the annual Séance Solennelle de l’AAE on Nov. 25.

EGNOS team: (from left) Jean-Marc Pieplu, overseeing EGNOS at the GSA; Mariluz de Mateo of Spain’s ENAIRE air traffic management agency, working on SESAR; and Didier Flament, heading ESA’s EGNOS and SBAS Division.

“This award recognizes the success of the EGNOS programme,” comments Didier. “It has been a long-term effort, which began with a first demonstration step called European Complement to GPS, studied and implemented by CNES, French Civil Aviation and the ONERA national aerospace research centre between 1987 and 1995.

“This was then followed by the European ESA ARTES-9 programme, started 20 years ago this year. So beyond the three nominees, the award goes to the various teams from ESA, CNES, civil aviation agencies and industry which have contributed to its success.“

While Galileo is on the verge of entering initial operational service, EGNOS has already been operational for many years: it began open service in 2009, and became available for ‘safety-of-life’ use including aviation in March 2011.

A network of 40 ground monitoring stations performs an independent measurement of GPS signals, so that corrections can be calculated and then passed to users immediately via a trio of geostationary satellites. A several-fold increase in precision is therefore delivered.

The result is that the EGNOS-augmented signals are guaranteed to meet the extremely high performance standards set out by the International Civil Aviation Organisation standard (ICAO SARPS), as all other similar regional SBAS systems.

Compliance to these standards is also ensuring full interoperability of these systems and seamless transition from one region to another for the end user – the pilot of an equipped aircraft.

The signals from space can therefore be relied on routinely for the safety-critical task of vertically guiding aircraft during landing approaches.

Today, more than 170 European airports in 19 countries use EGNOS, projected to increase to 346 in 25 states by 2020, according to Eurocontrol.

Following its initial design and development by ESA, ownership of the EGNOS system was passed to the European Commission in March 2009, and is currently operated on behalf of the EC’s GSA by an operator based in France, the European Satellite Services Provider.

ESA retains a role in procuring EGNOS’s future evolution, in particular the second generation of EGNOS aiming at augmenting all new modernized GPS signals and Galileo signals. ESA’s role includes liaising with other regional SBAS system providers to agree on common next-generational working standards through the international Interoperability Working Group, including making use of Galileo and additional satnav signals.

The most recent meeting of this working group was hosted by the Agency for Aerial Navigation Safety in Africa and Madagascar Nov. 29–30 in Dakar, Senegal.

December 5, 2016
Europe EGNOS technology sold to South Korea

News from the European Space Agency

Technology developed as part of Europe’s satellite navigation-augmenting EGNOS system has been sold to South Korea to serve its national equivalent system.

Thales Alenia Space has signed a contract with South Korea’s space agency, the Korea Aerospace Research Institute, to supply ground infrastructure for the Korea Augmentation Satellite System (KASS) on behalf of the South Korean Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.

EGNOS is Europe’s first venture into satellite navigation. EGNOS broadcasts augmented information through a trio of geostationary satellites linked to a network of monitoring ground stations, to sharpen the accuracy and reliability of GPS signals across the continent.

The infrastructure is derived from that developed by Thales Alenia Space under contract to ESA and in its role as prime contractor for EGNOS, which has been operational since 2009 for general use and since 2011 for safety-of-life applications, including aviation.

Designed by ESA and being exploited by Europe’s Global Navigation Satellite System Agency, EGNOS improves the precision of GPS signals over most European territory, while also providing continuous and reliable updates on the integrity of the GPS signals.

A network of 40 ground monitoring stations throughout Europe performs an independent measurement of GPS signals, so that corrections can be calculated and then passed to users immediately via a number of geostationary satellites.

The result is that the EGNOS-augmented signals are guaranteed to meet the extremely high performance standards set out by the International Civil Aviation Organisation standard, adapted for Europe by Eurocontrol, the European Organisation for the Safety of Air Navigation.

Satellite Based Augmentation Systems (SBAS) such as EGNOS and the U.S. Satellite Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS) operate by ensuring the integrity and positioning accuracy of GPS, as well as, in the decade to come, the European Galileo, Russian GLONASS and Chinese BeiDou systems.

KASS is projected to be the ninth regional SBAS in service when it becomes operational at the end of the decade. The various systems are designed to be fully interoperable, ensuring air traffic safety as aircraft move between different zones, and jointly providing an almost worldwide service.

Below is a video about EGNOS.

November 30, 2016
Arianespace ready to roll out 4-satellite launcher for Galileo

Arianespace has entered the final phase of preparations for its next Ariane 5 launch — the company’s first heavy-lift mission to orbit satellites for Europe’s Galileo navigation constellation.

During activity in the Spaceport’s Final Assembly Building, Arianespace “topped off” the Ariane 5 launcher with installation of the payload fairing over the four Galileo spacecraft and their payload dispenser.

With Ariane 5 complete, it is being readied for rollout to the Spaceport’s ELA-3 launch complex in advance of its Nov. 17 flight, set for liftoff at 10:06:48 a.m. local time in French Guiana.

This mission — designated Flight VA233 in Arianespace’s numbering system — will deploy the quartet of Galileo spacecraft over the course of a nearly four-hour flight.

For the Galileo program, Arianespace is using the Ariane 5 ES version with an enhanced storable propellant upper stage that allows for reignition and long coast phases during the mission.

The protective fairing is lowered onto the four Galileo satellites and their dispenser resting atop an Ariane 5 launcher. The fairing was placed on Nov. 3. (Photo: ESA)

These upgrades maximize the launcher’s performance for deploying the Galileo spacecraft — which will have a combined mass of 2,865 kg at liftoff — two at a time into a circular medium-Earth orbit.

As a European initiative to develop a new global satellite navigation system under civilian control, Galileo will offer a guaranteed, high-precision positioning service that will end Europe’s dependence on the American GPS system.

The Galileo constellation will comprise 24 operational satellites, along with spares. Arianespace already has deployed 14 Galileo in-orbit validation and full operational capability spacecraft from French Guiana on seven medium-lift Soyuz missions, along with performing two other Soyuz flights from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Russia with the GIOVE-A and GIOVE-B experimental satellites.

Galileo is funded by the European Union. It features innovative technologies developed in Europe for the benefit of all citizens. The European Commission holds overall responsibility for Galileo’s management and implementation, with the European Space Agency assigned design and development of the new generation of systems and infrastructure.

The Galileo satellites on Arianespace’s Flight VA233 are sized at 2.7 x 1.2 x 1.1 meters and were built by OHB System in Bremen, Germany, while their navigation payloads were supplied by UK-based Surrey Satellite Technology Limited (SSTL), which is 99 percent owned by Airbus Defence and Space.

November 14, 2016
Rocket readied for 4 at once for Galileo

The first rocket to loft four global positioning satellites at once has begun its build-up at the European Space Agency’s Spaceport in French Guiana. The milestone mission, scheduled for Nov. 17, will carry four Galileo satellites into orbit.

Ariane 5’s core stage is transferred for positioning over a mobile launch table inside the Spaceport’s Launcher Integration Building. Flight VA233 will carry four Galileo satellites.

This launcher began the integration process with the cryogenic core stage’s positioning over a mobile launch pad, followed by integration of the vehicle’s two solid propellant boosters. Designated as Flight VA233, the Ariane 5 rocket is being assembled inside the Spaceport’s Launcher Integration Building. Once completed, it will be moved into the Final Assembly Building for installation of the four Galileo spacecraft.

Arianespace already has orbited 14 Galileo spacecraft, all lofted in pairs on seven missions aboard the company’s medium-lift Soyuz launcher, with the most recent conducted last May.

For its maiden Ariane 5 mission at the service of Galileo, Arianespace’s workhorse heavy-lift vehicle will be equipped with a dispenser system that secures the quartet of Galileo satellites in place during ascent, and deploys them in rapid sequence at a targeted release altitude of 23,222 kilometers.

The four spacecraft were built by OHB System in Bremen, Germany, with their navigation payloads provided by Surrey Satellite Technology in the U.K.

October 3, 2016
Demonstration tests positioning in the far north

News from the European Space Agency

A sea-based test is demonstrating the potential of extending satnav augmentation coverage into north polar regions, offering a safety-of-life standard of navigation performance to users including shipping or aircraft in flight.

Norwegian research vessel Gunnerus, owned by the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, is equipped to pick up satnav signals from GPS and GLONASS as well as augmentation signals specially generated for the test, modeled on Europe’s existing European Geostationary Navigation Overlay System (EGNOS).

Norwegian research vessel Gunnerus, owned by the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. (Photo: ESA)

Gunnerus is making use of the signals during five days of sailing off Trondheim. The demonstration is part of the Arctic Test Bed project, conducted within the European Global Navigations Satellite System Evolutions Programme (EGEP) of ESA.

The ESA-designed EGNOS improves the precision of US GPS signals over most European territory, while also providing continuous and reliable updates on their integrity.

A 40-strong network of ground monitoring stations perform an independent measurement of GPS signals, so that corrections can be calculated and then passed to users immediately via a trio of geostationary satellites. The result is a several-fold increase in precision.

“Simply due to Earth’s curvature, EGNOS signals are not visible above about 70 degrees north, but they are needed to support polar routing,” explains Marco Porretta, overseeing the Arctic Test Bed project.

To investigate possible methods for improving Satellite-Based Augmentation System (SBAS) performance in this Arctic region, the test campaign will assess the benefits of augmentation for various types of satnav signals: single-frequency GPS; dual-frequency GPS; and dual-constellation dual-frequency, where GPS signals are combined with those of its Russian counterpart, thus increasing the number of observations.

“The planned next-decade upgrade of EGNOS, along with other augmentation systems operated over other continents (such as the U.S. equivalent Wide Area Augmentation System, WAAS), will perform multi-constellation augmentation as standard,” adds Marco. “That means data from this test case should be especially valuable to support interoperability between future augmentation systems.”

The Arctic Test Bed makes use of some EGNOS reference stations along the north of Europe, along with additional stations in locations including Greenland, Jan Mayen Island, Spitsbergen and Norway.

Model of the well-known Oct. 30, 2003, Halloween solar storm produced by the MIDAS tomographic ionospheric model from the University of Bath. (Image; ESA)

Marco explains, “These stations will allow specific monitoring of the ionosphere — the electrically active segment of Earth’s atmosphere — in the Arctic region. The ionosphere is significant because it is an important source of satnav signal delay, or in some cases can cause receivers to lose signal lock due to ionospheric scintillations.”

With geostationary satellites out of sight, navigation corrections for the Arctic Test Bed will be transmitted via terrestrial radio. In future, an operational version of the system could either stick with this solution or rely on other satellite-based means of dissemination from non-geostationary orbit.

The all-important generation of the augmentation correction message will take place at a processing center in Hønefoss, Norway, using adapted EGNOS algorithms.

An operational version of the Arctic Test Bed could potentially extend augmentation coverage to as high as 85 degrees north, as high as Greenland, extending to the edge of WAAS coverage.

The Arctic Test Bed project was initiated by ESA, with Kongsberg Seatex serving as prime contractor, GMV Aerospace and Defence, Thales Alenia Space France, Logica, Terma, the Norwegian Mapping Authority, Technical University of Denmark, Septentrio and the University of Calgary.

June 23, 2016
Galileo 13 and 14 satellites ready for Tuesday launch

Galileos 13 and 14 are scheduled to lift off at 08:48:43 GMT (05:48:43 local time, 10:48:43 CEST) on May 24 from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana atop a Soyuz launcher.

The first three stages of the Soyuz rocket take the Galileo satellites and their Fregat upper stage into low orbit nine minutes after liftoff. Then the reignitable Fregat, as much a spacecraft as a rocket stage, takes over the task of hauling the satellites higher through a pair of burns.

The satellites will be released in opposite directions by their dispenser once they reach their target 22,522-kilometer-altitude orbit 3 hours and 48 minutes after launch.

On Wednesday, May 18, Europe’s latest Galileo satellites were placed atop their upper stage then enclosed within their protective rocket fairing. The encapsulation took place inside the Spaceport’s cleanroom, as a two-piece Soyuz fairing was closed around the satellites, attached to their carrier atop the Fregat upper stage.

Europe’s 13th and 14th Galileo satellites being encapsulated inside their launcher fairing. (Photo: ESA)

The satellites had been installed on Fregat the previous day. This versatile upper stage will haul them the bulk of the way to their target 23,500-kilometer-altitude orbit.

The sealed satellites, dispenser and upper stage are collectively known as the “upper composite.” Today, the plan is to roll out the first three stages of Galileo’s Soyuz to the launchpad, ready for mating with this upper composite.

This will be the seventh Galileo launch, set to bring the number of satellites in space up to 14. Four more Galileos are planned to take flight in the autumn, launched for the first time on a customized Ariane 5 to bring the total number of satellites in the constellation to 18.

Watch the launch live here. Streaming begins at 08:28 GMT (10:28 CEST) on 24 May for the liftoff, then resumes at 12:23 GMT (14:23 CEST) to cover the satellites’ separation.

For other upcoming GNSS satellite launches, see this page.

Early Operations Phase. According to the European Space Agency (ESA), a combined team of specialists is conducting final training at ESA’s ESOC mission control centre to prepare for the launch.

The team comprises over 40 experts drawn from ESA and from France’s CNES space agency, supported by additional specialists at both agencies in areas such as flight dynamics and ground stations.

Within the combined flight control team, each position is paired with its counterpart from the other agency and mixed CNESOC shifts will rotate to conduct operations around the clock.

The same team conducts all the Galileo early operations alternately from ESOC and from the CNES control centre in Toulouse, France.

By launch day, the teams will have completed a demanding series of joint simulation training sessions at ESOC, complemented by more specific training conducted separately at each control centre. Joint sessions are especially important to develop team bonds “on-console” — so individuals get to know who will be working beside them and can foster one-on-one teamwork and mutual support.

Three Flight Operations Directors and three Spacecraft Operations Managers will work together with their teams in each of three shifts during the nine-day early operations phase. From left: Hélène Cottet (CNES), Remi Lapeyre (CNES), Liviu Stefanov (ESA), Christelle Crozat (ESA), Thomas Cowell (ESA) and Hervé Côme (ESA).

May 23, 2016
Galileo satellites 13 and 14 prepare for launch

Another pair of Galileo navigation satellites is scheduled for launch by a Soyuz rocket on May 24 from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana, bringing the Galileo system a step closer to operational use.

This video gives an overview of Galileo and shows Galileo 13 and 14 in preparation in Kourou. It includes an interview with Paul Verhoef, ESA director of the Galileo Programme and navigation-related activities.

The European Commission asked the European Space Agency (ESA) to speed up the deployment of the constellation and to increase it’s robustness for delivering initial services, according to ESA.

A total of 12 satellites has been deployed into orbit during the last four years — six in the last year alone.

Learn more about the launch here.

May 18, 2016
Payload integration begins next Galileo launch

The first of two Galileo navigation satellites to be orbited on Arianespace’s May 24 Soyuz flight has been integrated on its payload dispenser system, marking a key step as preparations advance for this medium-lift mission from French Guiana.

Named “Danielė,” the Galileo 13 spacecraft was installed this week during activity inside the Spaceport’s S3B payload preparation facility. It is to be joined on the dispenser system by the mission’s other passenger, “Alizée” or Galileo 14, whose own installation is forthcoming, in a side-by-side arrangement.

The pair — each named after children who won a European Commission-organized painting competition in 2011 — are then to be mated atop Soyuz’ Fregat upper stage and encapsulated in the protective payload fairing. Prime contractor OHB System in Bremen, Germany produced the satellites, and their onboard payloads are supplied by UK-based Surrey Satellite Technology Limited (SSTL) – which is 99-percent owned by Airbus Defence and Space.

The Galileo FOC satellite “Danielė” is moved into position, then integrated on its payload dispenser at the Spaceport’s S3B payload preparation facility. (Photo: Arianespace)

“Danielė” and “Alizée” will become the 13th and 14th FOC (Full Operational Capability) spacecraft to join Europe’s Galileo navigation system, which was conceived to provide high-quality positioning, navigation and timing services under civilian control. Its FOC phase is managed and funded by the European Commission, with the European Space Agency (ESA) delegated as the design and procurement agent on the Commission’s behalf.

The May 24 flight is designated Flight VS15, and will be performed from the purpose-built ELS launch complex at Europe’s Spaceport. Arianespace’s Soyuz will carry out a nearly 3-hour, 48-minute mission to place its Galileo passengers into a targeted circular orbit at an altitude of 23,522 kilometers, inclined 57.394 degrees to the equator. Total payload lift performance is estimated at 1,599 kg.

May 16, 2016
Ground-based Galileo satellite joins post-launch dress rehearsal

News from the European Space Agency

The navigation satellite set to become the 16th in the Galileo constellation has been taken through a Europe-wide rehearsal for its launch and early operations in space.

Sitting in the cleanroom environment of ESA’s ESTEC technology centre in Noordwijk, the Netherlands, the satellite was last week linked to a trio of sites across the continent: the Galileo control centres in Fucino, Italy and Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany, as well as ESA’s ESOC operations centre in Darmstadt, Germany.

Galileo’s Ground Control Segment (GCS) in the Oberpfaffenhofen Control Centre in Germany is in charge of overseeing the performance of the Galileo satellites. (Photo: ESA)

“These System Compatibility Test Campaigns (STSCs) occur on a regular basis,” explained Liviu Stefanov, lead Flight Operations Director for the next Galileo launch in May. “Last December saw a campaign using one of the two Galileo satellites due to be launched in May, while our February rehearsal used another satellite from the quadruplet being launched by Ariane 5 later this year. So with this most recent task, we have reached a frequency of three system tests in less than four months.”

A joint team from ESA and France’s CNES space agency oversee Galileo’s Launch and Early Operations Phase (LEOP) – the initial switching on and checking and configuration of satellite systems. LEOP is run from either ESOC or CNES Toulouse, on an alternating basis.

ESOC will host the LEOP team for the next launch of two Galileo satellites by Soyuz from French Guiana in May. Then the team will switch to Toulouse for the first launch of four Galileo satellites by Ariane 5, scheduled for this autumn.

Members of the joint Galileo Launch and Early Operations Phase (LEOP) team at work in CNES Toulouse. A joint team from ESA and France’s CNES space agency oversee Galileo LEOPs – the initial switching on and checking and configuration of satellite systems. LEOP is run from either ESOC or CNES Toulouse, on an alternating basis. (Photo: ESA)

Liviu added: “From our point of view, this SCTC was a useful final opportunity to try out communications with a satellite that is actually due to fly, before our next Galileo LEOP takes place for real.
“It is the last end-to-end test of the ground segment with a real satellite before the launch.”

“Communicating with and controlling satellites still on the ground is one of the essential exercises the LEOP team has to perform before launch,” said Christelle Crozat, lead Spacecraft Operations Manager for the next LEOP.

“It is an opportunity to test and validate the operational products with a satellite to identify and correct any issues of compatibility with the real hardware while the satellite is still ‘on Earth’. It is always a thrill for the operational engineers to interact with the satellite instead of the simulator.”

Money spent by European taxpayers on spacecraft operations represents an excellent investment in infrastructure and in high-tech, value-added jobs, with strong benefits flowing back to ESA Member State citizens. (Photo: ESA)

In practice, LEOP encapsulates crucial activities such as separation from the rocket’s upper stage, deployment of solar wings and first attitude acquisition, followed by the gradual configuration of the platform system for orbit manoeuvres and the mission to follow.

ESOC and CNES Toulouse both host their own functionally identical LEOP control centre. New Galileo satellites are launched on a regular basis: bringing them to life is demanding. Pooling this crucial responsibility between two agencies and two locations adds efficiency, delivering greater flexibility and redundancy.

“This efficiency has been demonstrated by the three successful LEOPs conducted over the course of last year, in March, September and December,” stressed Hervé Côme, Galileo LEOP Service Manager.
“It is also shown by the capability of CNES/ESOC to support the introduction of one additional Soyuz LEOP on a relatively short four-month notice, for this May.”

Once each LEOP is completed, control of the satellite platform is passed to the Oberpfaffenhofen control centre, with Fucino overseeing the navigation payloads and the positioning services they enable.

Galileo’s Ground Mission Segment in the Fucino Control Centre in Italy oversees Galileo navigation services and satellite payload operations. (Photo: ESA)

March 29, 2016
USGS partners with European Space Agency on Copernicus Earth data

The Sentinel satellites developed by ESA are designed to meet the operational needs of the Copernicus program. (ESA illustration)

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the European Space Agency (ESA) have established a partnership to enable USGS storage and redistribution of Earth observation data acquired by Copernicus program satellites.

The ESA-USGS collaboration will serve scientific and commercial customers interested in the current conditions of forests, crops and water bodies across large regions and in the longer term environmental condition of the Earth. Data acquired by the European Union’s Sentinel-2A satellite launched in June 2015 are highly complementary to data acquired by USGS/NASA Landsat satellites since 1972.

“Landsat and Sentinel data will weave together very effectively,” said Virginia Burkett, USGS Associate Director for Climate and Land Use Change. “Adding the image recurrence of two Sentinel-2 satellites to Landsats 7 and 8 will increase repeat multispectral coverage of the Earth’s land areas to every 3 to 4 days. With more frequent views of the Earth, we will significantly improve our ability to see and understand changes taking place across the global landscape.”

The agreement is part of a broader understanding between the European Union and three U.S. federal science agencies — NASA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and USGS — that was signed in October 2015. All parties are committed to the principle of full, free and open access to Earth observation satellite data produced by the European Union’s Sentinel program and by the respective U.S. agencies. An ESA article further describes the cross-Atlantic collaboration.

“Free and open access to Landsat and Sentinel-2 data together will create remarkable economic and scientific benefits for people around the globe,” said Suzette Kimball, director of the U.S. Geological Survey. “At the outset of our partnership we can only imagine the synergies between our two perspectives from space. But I’m confident that the final product of our partnership will be an enriched knowledge of our planet.”

Sentinel data are available at no cost from the Copernicus Scientific Data Hub. Additionally, in order to expedite data delivery around the globe, users may also download both Sentinel-2 and Landsat data at no charge in a familiar digital environment from USGS access systems such as EarthExplorer.

Right now, only selected Sentinel data are available from the USGS in an early testing phase. Timely access to all Sentinel data will follow as the procedures for data transfer, user access and data delivery continue to be optimized at the USGS Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center.

The MultiSpectral Instrument (MSI) sensor on board Sentinel 2A acquires 13 spectral bands that parallel and contrast to data acquired by the USGS Landsat 8 Operational Land Imager (OLI) and Landsat 7 Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+). Unlike the Sentinel-2 satellites, Landsat satellites also include a capability to collect thermal infrared data which is used in a variety of water and agricultural monitoring applications. NASA has published an online comparison of Sentinel-2A and Landsat bandwidths.

For technical details such as data availability, geographic coverage, acquisition frequency and resolution, visit the Copernicus and Landsat websites.

The Landsat program is a joint effort of USGS and NASA. First launched by NASA in 1972, the Landsat series of satellites has produced the longest, continuous record of Earth’s land surface as seen from space. Landsat data were made available to all users free of charge by the U.S. Department of the Interior and USGS in 2008.

March 16, 2016
ESA to research monitoring of ground hazards affecting transportation
Operators of UK transport networks will be the first to benefit from Live Land, a satellite-based land monitoring system developed through the European Space Agency (ESA).

Transport operators across the UK face significant challenges in monitoring and detecting landslides and subsidence across their networks. Geological hazards in the vicinity of roads and railways can disrupt business and communities.

The Live Land demonstration project will help to assess and monitor high-risk areas by providing more information on geological hazards along rail and road networks using integrated data from GNSS and Earth observation satellites.

CGG GeoConsulting‘s NPA Satellite Mapping group has been awarded a contract to lead the Live Land project, sponsored by the ESA within its Integrated Applications Program (IAP). Over the next two years, the Live Land consortium will develop a number of products for two prominent Scottish transport operators, Network Rail (Scotland) and Transport Scotland.

Once successfully demonstrated in Scotland and regions of England, Live Land is expected to expand across the UK and continental Europe as the project team engages with other transport operators who could benefit from the new information that will be available on geohazards.

The Live Land demonstration project is the follow-on of a previous ESA IAP feasibility study concluded in 2014 and draws on expertise from a team of internationally respected authorities in their respective fields:
- NPA Satellite Mapping
- British Geological Survey
- Met Office
- Nottingham Scientific Ltd. (GNSS experts)
Live Land offers transport operators increased information on geological hazards, such as landslides and subsidence. (Photo: ritish Geological Survey NERC)

How it works

Radar images from Europe’s Sentinel-1A observation satellite detect surface motion changes with millimeter precision. This is complemented with data from satnav receivers and sensors installed for in-situ monitoring in specific locations. This space-based information is combined with knowledge about the geology of the area and weather forecasts. For example, an area of steep slopes and wet soil that is expecting heavy rainfall is at a higher risk of a landslide.

Furnished with such knowledge, transport operators can assess the risks and improve their planning and response to incidents.

“Live Land integrates data collected from different sources to assess and monitor potential geological threats for transport operators,” said ESA’s Roberta Mugellesi. “Combining space-based data increases the confidence in risk assessment and predictions.”

NPA Satellite Mapping

The NPA Satellite Mapping consultancy derives geospatial intelligence from satellite imagery. Its mapping solutions are used around the world by a client base ranging from oil and gas operators to transport asset owners to maximize operational insight and minimize risk. The company has considerable experience in geohazard research projects for ESA and European Commission, and, with its expertise in satellite InSAR (surface deformation) mapping, is optimally placed to coordinate and bring to market the unique monitoring solutions that will be developed within the Live Land project.

The services are expected to range from regional geological hazard susceptibility and activity datasets that exploit satellite InSAR measurements, to hazard forecasting models using geological and meteorological data, and the development of cost-effective, multi-sensor devices (GNSS receiver and inertial sensors) for in-situ monitoring.

“Live Land will initially play a crucial role in helping to better understand, monitor and forecast geological hazards across the UK’s road and rail networks,” said Claire Roberts, Live Land project manager and remote sensing consultant with NPA Satellite Mapping. “The developments targeted in the project are ambitious but necessary given the scale of the issues we want to address.”
March 15, 2016
Two Galileo satellites scheduled for May launch

News from the European Space Agency

Another pair of Galileo navigation satellites is scheduled for launch by Soyuz rocket in May, ahead of a quartet on an Ariane 5 in the autumn, bringing the Galileo system a step closer to operational use.

The European Commission asked ESA to look into the feasibility of a Soyuz launch in the first half of the year to speed up the deployment of the constellation and to increase its robustness for delivering initial services.
One satellite is in storage at ESA’s technical centre in the Netherlands, having completed all its testing to clear it for flight, with another due to join it very soon.

The satellite platforms are built by OHB in Bremen, Germany, with their navigation payloads coming from Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd in the UK, using a steady stream of high-technology equipment sourced from all across Europe.

Once through testing, the satellites are flown to Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana, to be launched two at a time on Soyuz rockets.

Cutaway view of the Soyuz rocket fairing carrying a pair of Galileo satellites, seen atop the Fregat upper stage that flies them most of the way to their intended medium-altitude orbit. (ESA illustration)

A total of 12 satellites has been deployed into orbit during the last four years — six in the last year alone.

The Galileo production line has attained a steady rhythm, as has the environmental testing, so six satellites are available for launch this year, more than were initially planned.

In the second half of the year, four satellites will be launched together for the very first time, on a customized “Ariane 5 ES Galileo.”

In development since 2012, it is based on the Ariane 5 ES (Evolution Storable), previously used to place ESA’s 20-tonne ATV vehicle into low orbit for resupplying the International Space Station.

This new variant will carry a lighter payload — four fueled 738 kg Galileo satellites plus their supporting dispenser — but will take it up to the much higher altitude around 23 222 km.

The target orbit is actually 300 km below the Galileo constellation’s final working altitude. This leaves Ariane’s upper stage in a stable ‘graveyard orbit’, while the four satellites maneuver themselves up to their operating position.

Following this first Ariane 5 flight, there should be 18 Galileo satellites in orbit.

February 29, 2016