SAOCOM

SAOCOM (SAtélite Argentino de Observación COn Microondas, Spanish for Argentine Microwaves Observation Satellite) is a planned Earth observation satellite constelation of the Argentine Space Agency CONAE.

Configuration

Two satellites are planned, SAOCOM 1A and SAOCOM 1B. Both will be equipped with a L-band (about 1275 GHz) full polarimetric Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR). Each weighs 1600 kg[1] and their main purpose will be monitoring for the prevention of disasters.

Mission

Originally launch was announced for 2010 (1A) and 2011 (1B),[2] but later due to delays in satellites' development both launches were postponed to between 2012 and 2013.[3] Further delays pushed the launches date back tentatively towards 2014 and 2015 respectively for 1A and 1B satellites.[4] Falcon-9 rockets will be used for the launches.[5]

Those two satellites along with four X-band (around 9.6GHz) SAR equipped COSMO-SkyMed satellites from the Italian Space Agency ASI would form the Italian-Argentine System of Satellites for Emergency Management (SIASGE) constellation.[6] A successful design review was held at the Teófilo Tabanera space center in Cordoba on 16 and 17 October 2012.

References

  1. ↑ http://www.invap.com.ar/en/projects/saocom-satellites.html
  2. ↑ Bär, Nora (June 7, 2007). "Hoy debuta la "superconstelación" ítalo-argentina" (in Spanish). La Nación. Retrieved 2007-08-31.
  3. ↑ "SPACEX SIGNS ARGENTINA'S SPACE AGENCY FOR TWO FALCON 9 LAUNCHES". Space Exploration Technologies Corp. 16 April 2009. Retrieved 2009-04-29.
  4. ↑ "Launch manifest". SpaceX. 2012. Retrieved 2012-03-20.
  5. ↑ http://space.skyrocket.de/doc_sdat/saocom-1.htm
  6. ↑ Arias, Daniel E. (June 9, 2007). "Ya en órbita, el satélite Cosmo-Skymed da sus primeros signos de vida" (in Spanish). La Nación. Retrieved 2007-08-31.

External links