SAOCOM

Mockup of the SAOCOM satellites

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

Configuration

The Two satellites, SAOCOM 1A and SAOCOM 1B, both will be equipped with a L-band (about 1.275 GHz) full polarimetric Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR). Each weighing 1,600 kg (3,500 lb)[1] and their main purpose will be monitoring for the mitigation of natural disasters effects.

Mission

SAOCOM 1A at the clean room of INVAP in March 2016

Originally, the launch was announced for 2010 (1A) and 2011 (1B),[2] but later due to delays in satellites development both launches were postponed for 2012 and 2013.[3] Further delays pushed the launches date back tentatively towards 2014 and 2015.[4] As of February 2016, SAOCOM 1A was later scheduled for launch in December 2016[5] and SAOCOM 1B in December 2017.[6] As of April 2016 the scheduled launch dates for 1A and 1B were further pushed back to October 2017 and October 2018.[7] Falcon-9 rockets will be used for the launches.[8]

SIASGE Constellation

The two satellites along with four X-band (around 9.6 GHz) SAR equipped COSMO-SkyMed satellites from the Italian Space Agency Agenzia Spaziale Italiana (ASI) would form the Italian-Argentine System of Satellites for Emergency Management (SIASGE) constellation.[9] A successful design review was held at the Argentinian space centre Teófilo Tabanera near the Cordoba City on 16 and 17 October 2012. In May 2015, a delegation from the Italian Space Agency (ASI) visited Argentina, CONAE officials announced that discussions between the two agencies included the expansion of the SIAGSE system by adding two additional COSMO-SkyMed satellites and two additional SAOCOM satellites, 2A and 2B. This would raise the SIAGSE constellation total number of satellites to 10.

References

  1. ↑ "INVAP - SAOCOM satellites". Retrieved 2015-05-03.
  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 2015-05-03.
  4. ↑ "Launch manifest". SpaceX. 2012. Retrieved 2012-03-20.
  5. ↑ "Mission Summary - SAOCOM 1A". CEOS. Retrieved 2016-02-16.
  6. ↑ "Mission Summary - SAOCOM 1B". CEOS. Retrieved 2016-02-16.
  7. ↑ "Exitosa Revisión de la Misión SAOCOM" (in Spanish). CONAE. April 12, 2016. Retrieved 2016-04-27.
  8. ↑ http://space.skyrocket.de/doc_sdat/saocom-1.htm
  9. ↑ 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.


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