SPOT 7

Spacecraft nº:

France spacecraft nº: 71

Launch data: Designation  40053 / 14034A Launch date  30 Jun 2014 - 04:22 UT Launch site  Sriharikota, FLP Launch vehicle  PSLV-CA Mission  Earth observing, imaging Earth orbit: Perigee / Apogee  697 x 699 km Eccentricity   Inclination   98.19° Period  98.73 min

SPOT 6 - Credit: Astrium

Spacecraft data: Prime manufacturer  EADS Astrium Platform  AstroSat-500 Mk.2 (AstroBus-L) Operator  Spot Image Mass at launch  712 kg Dry Mass   kg Basic shape   Dimension (m)   Equipment  2 × NAOMI (Pan: 2 m, MS: 8 m ) Solar array  3 deployable solar arrays Stabilization   Propulsion  Monopropellant hydrazine thrusters DC power   Design lifetime  10 yrs

Photo of the fully-integrated PSLV upper stage, with SPOT-7, CanX-4, CanX-5, and AISat visible (image credit: UTIAS/SFL, ISRO)

Description:

• SPOT 7 is a commercial high-resolution optical imaging Earth observation satellite system operating from space. It is run by Spot Image, based in Toulouse, France. It was initiated by the CNES (Centre national d'etudes spatiales - the French space agency) in the 1970s and was developed in association with the SSTC (Belgian scientific, technical and cultural services) and the Swedish National Space Board (SNSB). It has been designed to improve the knowledge and management of the Earth by exploring the Earth's resources, detecting and forecasting phenomena involving climatology and oceanography, and monitoring human activities and natural phenomena. The SPOT X system includes a series of satellites and ground control resources for satellite control and programming, image production, and distribution. Earlier satellites were launched using the European Space Agency's Ariane 2, 3, and 4 rockets, while SPOT 7 were launched by the Indian PSLV.
• SPOT 6 and 7 (Satellite Probatoire de l'Observation de la Terre) are two agile Earth observation satellites to continue the services of the SPOT 4 and 5 satellites.
• Both satellites will offer 2 meter resolution data in a 60 kilometer by 60 kilometer swath, and improved agility with twice the design life of previous SPOT satellites.
• The satellites feature two NAOMI (New AstroSat Optical Modular Instrument) instruments, high-resolution pushbroom imagers based on a Korsch-type telescope designed and developed at EADS Astrium SAS. The imager provides imagery of 2 m in Pan and four multispectral (MS) bands of 8 m multispectral.

Mission details:

• Delayed from Feb 2014.
• India's Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle put France's SPOT 7 imaging satellite in orbit on Jun 30, 2014. Small satellites from Canada, Germany and Singapore were ejected as well.

External links:

• Spaceflight 101: Satellite Information
  
• Satellite tracking: Real time satellite tracking