Sentinel-2B:
Astrium
wins
new
contract
worth
€105
million
31
March
2010
Astrium
has
been
commissioned
by
the
European
Space
Agency
(ESA)
to
build
the
Sentinel-2B
optical
satellite,
the
next
flight
unit
in
the
Sentinel
series.
The
two
parties
signed
the
industrial
contract,
worth
€105
million,
today.
Following
on
from
the
Sentinel-2A
contract
that
was
signed
in
spring
2008,
this
latest
show
of
confidence
brings
the
total
revenue
generated
for
Astrium
by
the
Sentinel-2
programme
to
approximately
€323
million.
“The
Sentinel-2
satellites
are
an
important
element
of
the
GMES
programme
and
will
give
Europe
the
ability
to
monitor
environmental
changes
in
the
region
over
an
extended
period
of
time,”
said
Prof.
Dr.
Volker
Liebig,
Director
of
Earth
Observation
at
ESA.
“The
GMES
programme
is
unique
in
the
world.
The
Sentinel-2
missions
will
provide
the
level
of
geographical
coverage
demanded
by
users
and
simultaneously
guarantee
long-term
data
availability.”
Evert
Dudok,
CEO
Astrium
Satellites,
added:
“Astrium
is a
leading
innovator
in
the
development
of
Earth
observation
satellites,
as
proven
by
the
Envisat,
Metop
and
TerraSAR-X
programmes.
We
provide
ESA
and
the
GMES
programme
with
high-tech
solutions
for
extensive
data
collection.
This
data
is
subsequently
used
for
regional
planning,
agriculture
and
forest
management,
disaster
control
and
humanitarian
relief
operations.
Sentinel-2
will
also
be
able
to
observe
natural
disasters
such
as
floods,
volcanic
eruptions
and
landslides.”
Within
the
Sentinel-2
programme,
Astrium
is
responsible
for
the
satellites’
overall
system
design,
multi-spectral
instrument
(MSI)
and
platform,
as
well
as
for
satellite
integration
and
testing.
The
company
is
also
providing
high-precision
attitude
control
sensors
and
a
state-of-the-art
data
storage
system.
It
is
additionally
responsible
for
the
mechanical
satellite
structure
and
the
propulsion
system,
as
well
as
manufacturing
the
thermal
equipment
and
cable
harness.
The
Sentinel-2
programme
involves
Astrium
sites
in
Germany
(System
design,
Integration
&
Test),
France
(Instrument)
and
Spain
(Satellite
structure).
Each
Sentinel-2
satellite
is
intended
to
spend
a
minimum
of
7.25
years
in
orbit
observing
the
Earth’s
land
masses.
The
satellites’
resources
are
specifically
designed
to
ensure
their
mission
can
be
extended
by a
further
five
years
if
required.
They
weigh
around
1,100
kg
and
will
be
launched
into
a
786
km
polar
sun-synchronous
orbit
in
2013
and
2015
respectively.
Their
13-channel
multi-spectral
instrument
(MSI)
generates
optical
images
in
the
visible
and
short-wave
infrared
bands
and
boasts
a
resolution
of
down
to
10 m
and
a
swath
width
of
290
km.
When
fully
operational,
the
pair
of
Sentinel-2
satellites
will
be
able
to
cover
all
of
the
Earth’s
land
masses
in
five-day
cycles,
sending
back
data
and
images
for
a
duration
of
at
least
15
years.
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