WASHINGTON — India’s Antrix Corp. will launch an Earth observation satellite for Singapore in late 2015 aboard its Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle under a contract announced Feb. 6 by Singapore Technologies Electronics (ST Electronics), the spacecraft’s manufacturer.
The contract with Antrix, the commercial arm of the Indian Space Research Organisation, calls for the Teleos-1 satellite to be launched into a near-equatorial orbit with an altitude of 550 kilometers. From that altitude, the 400-kilogram satellite will collect imagery with 1-meter resolution, ST Electronics said.
Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Also on Feb. 6, ST Electronics announced that it had signed distribution agreements for Teleos-1 imagery and forged a separate deal with ATK Space Systems to market small satellites for a variety of applications. All three announcements were made at the Global Space Technology Convention 2014 in Singapore.
ST Electronics said it has signed agreements with South Korea’s Satrec Initiative and with Spot Asia, a subsidiary of Europe’s Airbus Defence and Space, for distribution of Teleos-1 imagery, which is expected to be commercially available in the first half of 2016.
Due to its equatorial orbit — most Earth observation satellites operate in polar orbit to provide global coverage — Teleos-1 will offer 12 to 16 revisits per day within its coverage area, ST Electronics said.
Meanwhile, STK said it had entered into an agreement with ATK Space Systems to develop, build and market microsatellite platforms globally. ATK also builds small satellites, primarily for U.S. government customers.
“We will develop cost competitive microsatellites to address the growing market demands for spacecraft in this class and in turn, help to grow a vibrant and sustainable space industry in Singapore,” Tang Kum Chuen, president of ST Electronics Satcom & Sensor Systems, said in a prepared statement.
Tom Wilson, vice president and general manager of ATK Space Systems of Beltsville, Md., said the arrangement aims to leverage the unique capabilities of both companies. “Our combined expertise will create a new microsatellite product line we call the A150 that fills a growing market niche for missions in the less than 200 kilogram class with applications in Earth imaging, science, technology validation or communications,” he said in the press release.
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