Page 17 - hisdeSAT annual report 2012
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ABOUT HISDESAT1
EARTH OBSERVATION SYSTEM
Earth Observation
Spain has become the first
The year 2007 saw the launch of the National Satel-
European country to have a lite Earth Observation Programme (PNOTS), fruit of
dual observation and dual use the collaboration between the Ministries of Defence
and Industry, Tourism and Trade.
system
PNOTS comprises two satellites, Paz and Ingenio,
currently under development, with the two space
observation technologies, radar (SAR) and optic, for
Ottawa (Canada) and Mt. Jackson (Virginia, USA) for both military and civilian use, capable of providing
Xtar-Eur. both nocturnal and diurnal images in any meteorolog-
ical conditions. With this programme, Spain becomes
This satellite system has a minimum 15-year lifespan the first European country to have a dual observa-
and therefore with the start of their operation in the tion and dual use system. The Paz satellite with radar
year 2006 they meet the operational requirements of technology is focussed fundamentally on attending to
the Spanish Ministry of Defence through to the year security and defence needs.
2021. On the other hand, services were also being
provided to other national government bodies such as The Ingenio satellite, with optic technology, is mainly
for example the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Home used to satisfy the needs of civilian users. It is run
Office and the CSIC. by the Ministry of Industry and by the CDTI, while
the European Space Agency (ESA) is responsible for
At international level, secure communication services overseeing the manufacturing contract.
are provided to the US Defence Department, to the
Ministries of Defence of Belgium and Norway, to the Hisdesat is responsible for the launch into orbit and
Danish Navy and, through the investee company Xtar commercial exploitation of both of the observation
LLC, to the US State Department and diverse agen- system’s satellites, in collaboration with INTA, which
cies of the US Government. will provide the ground segment.
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