Peru has ordered its first Earth observation satellite from Airbus Defence and Space with the support of the French government.
The contract is worth €150m (US$207m) and covers the construction and launch of the satellite, the ground control segment…
Peru has ordered its first Earth observation satellite from Airbus Defence and Space with the support of the French government.
The contract is worth €150m (US$207m) and covers the construction and launch of the satellite, the ground control segment and the image reception and processing centre.
The satellite is expected to be launched at the end of 2016.
The contract was signed as part of a bilateral agreement between the French and Peruvian governments and was announced by the French Ministry of Defence.
Airbus stated that the satellite will be based on its Astrobus platform, which has been used for a number of satellite imaging missions including the Spot 6 and 7 satellites, Pleiades and KazEOSat-1, Kazakhstan’s first Earth observation satellite.
François Auque, head of space systems at Airbus DS, commented: “With this first satellite system, Peru will acquire space capability at a very high level, and we are delighted to have been selected for our technology and expertise, particularly in the field of silicon carbide.
“In winning this contract, Airbus Defence and Space reinforces its position as the world’s number one exporter of Earth observation satellites of all types and resolution levels.”
Since 2000, Airbus has built twelve EO satellites for export, understood to be two thirds of the addressable market.
The KazEOSat-1 is due to be launched on 28 April into low Sun-synchronous orbit (about 700 km from Earth) on-board a Vega launcher from the European spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana.
