Helios 1A, 1B
The Helios program is Europe’s military optical reconnaissance system consisting of both a space and a ground segment, which commenced service in 1995, jointly funded by the French, Italian and Spanish governments. The Helios I optical observation satellites, launched in July 1995 and December 1999 respectively, can acquire high resolution images of any point on the globe, with daily revisit capability. The French Ministry of Defence procurement agency DGA runs the program, retains direct control over the management of the ground segment, and delegates the space segment responsibility to the French space agency CNES.
Helios-1B had suffered a breakdown of its power supply system and could no longer perform any work after operating for just under its 5-year nominal life expectancy. It has been reported in October 2004, that Helios 1B was deorbited. Helios 1A continues to operate.
| Nation: |
France |
| Type / Application: |
Reconnaissance, electro-optical |
| Operator : Opérateur |
DGA |
| Contractors / Constructeur |
? |
| Equipment |
? |
| Configuration |
Spot Mk.2 |
| Propulsion |
? |
| Lifetime / Durée de vie |
5 years |
| Operating / Opérationnel |
#1A  2005 |
| Mass / Masse |
? |
| Orbit / Orbite |
|
Helios 2A, 2B
The Helios program is Europe’s military optical reconnaissance system consisting of both a space and a ground segment, which commenced service in 1995, jointly funded by the French (92.5%), Belgian (2.5%), Italian (2.5%) and Spanish governments (2.5%).
The Helios I optical observation satellites, launched in July 1995 and December 1999 respectively, can acquire high resolution images of any point on the globe, with daily revisit capability.
Scheduled to enter service in 2004, Helios II comprises two four-ton satellites, Helios IIA and IIB, which will deliver improved performance relative to their Helios I predecessors (in terms of resolution capability, number of images they can take, and night sight), and an enhanced user ground segment.
This new system will be able to process data from both the Helios I and the Helios II satellites, while remaining open to future space-based intelligence systems. The French Ministry of Defence procurement agency DGA runs the program, retains direct control over the management of the ground segment, and delegates the space segment responsibility to the French space agency CNES.
| Nation: |
France |
| Type / Application: |
Reconnaissance, electro-optical |
| Operator : Opérateur |
DGA |
| Contractors / Constructeur |
Astrium |
| Equipment |
? |
| Configuration |
Spot Mk.3 |
| Propulsion |
? |
| Lifetime / Durée de vie |
? |
| Operating / Operational |
2005 |
| Mass / Masse |
4200 kg |
| Orbit / Orbite |
|
SAR-Lupe
The SAR-Lupe radar reconnaissance spacecraft - the first german military satellite - feature a synthetic radar (SAR), which will have a spatial resolution of less than 1 meter. Due to the intelligent combination of existing technologies, SAR-Lupe operates independently of weather conditions on a 7/24 basis. It delivers up-to-date and highly detailed images from virtually all regions of the world. Data will be transmitted by a X-band transmitter and encrypted S-band will be used for telemetry and command transmissions both direct to ground stations or via SAR-Lupe intersatellite links.
A constellation of five identical satellites in three orbital planes is planned at a cost of + 250 million Euro.
The launch of the first of five satellites is planned for the beginning of 2005 with a Russian Kosmos-3M boosters with modified fairings to accommodate the large antennas. The overall system will be completed in 2007 to deliver radar images for the German Armed Forces for at least ten years.
| Nation: |
Germany |
| Type / Application: |
Reconnaissance, Radar |
| Operator: Opérateur |
Bundeswehr |
| Contractors / Constructeur |
OHB-System GmbH |
| Equipment |
SAR, intersatellite S-band tranmitter, X-band transmitter |
| Configuration |
|
| Propulsion |
Hydrazin thrusters |
| Lifetime / Durée de vie |
10 years |
| Operating / Opérationnel |
2007 2017 |
| Mass / Masse |
770 kg |
| Orbit / Orbite |
Polar 500 km |
TopSat 1
SSTL is developing the TopSat (Tactical Optical Satellite) enhanced microsatellite bus as a subcontractor to QinetiQ, for the UK Government. TopSat is jointly funded by the British National Space Centre (BNSC) Microsatellite Applications in Collaboration (MOSAIC) programme and the Ministry of Defence. TopSat’s primary mission is to demonstrate that a microsatellite can provide responsive high-resolution imaging, with 2.5 meter-resolution images delivered directly from the satellite to ground terminals within the same footprint.
SSTL developed a customized enhanced microsatellite bus for TopSat based on the Microsat-100 bus, with specific enhancements to provide the necessary payload power and highly agile attitude control. The zero-momentum-bias attitude control system is capable of time delay integration and rapid pitch and roll off-pointing up to 30 degrees from nadir. For end users, this will mean that several independent images can be targeted in rapid succession, and that high resolution imaging will remain possible even in poor winter lighting conditions. This highly capable platform weighs only 90 kg.
The TopSat mission team includes four key partners: QinetiQ, SSTL, Rutherford Appleton Laboratories (RAL) and InfoTerra. QinetiQ, recently formed from the UK Government’s Defence Evaluation and Research Agency (DERA), is the TopSat mission prime contractor and will also provide certain payload and mission control elements. SSTL is the space segment prime, providing the satellite bus, payload integration, launch services and spacecraft operations. RAL, a UK specialist in space instrumentation, is developing the state-of-the-art lightweight 2.5 meter imaging system. Finally, Infoterra, a subsidiary of Astrium, will lead the image exploitation element of the mission.
TopSat is scheduled to be launched in early 2005 on board a Kosmos-3M launch vehicle from the Pletsesk Cosmodrome.
| Nation: |
UK |
| Type / Application: |
Earth Observation |
| Operator: Opérateur |
MoD, BNSC |
| Contractors / Constructeur |
QinetiQ (prime), SSTL (bus) |
| Equipment |
|
| Configuration |
Microsat-100 (enhanced) |
| Propulsion |
|
| Lifetime / Durée de vie |
? |
| Peritoneal / Opérationnel |
2005 |
| Mass / Masse |
130 kg |
| Orbit / Orbite |
|
