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- EROS-A (of Ofeq-3 heritage) is a high-resolution commercial imaging satellite of ImageSat International N.V. headquartered at Limassol, Cyprus, and designed and built by Israeli Aircraft Industries Ltd. (IAI). The overall objective is to launch and operate a constellation of high-resolution commercial satellites, primarily for intelligence and national security applications and to serve a global customer base. The spaceborne remote sensing technology for the EROS family was approved by the government of Israel in Oct. 1996. The EROS program offers a combination of services and products tailored to meet specific customer requirements and budgets: - The option to acquire exclusive imaging rights over a defined footprint or the ability to acquire imagery on an exclusive basis. - Rapid delivery of imagery to the customer, either through direct downlink, electronic transfer or courier. - Provision of low-cost imagery products to support applications in many fields. Spacecraft: The EROS-A satellite structure consists of low-mass composite material with passive thermal control, it is three-axis stabilized. Attitude control and navigation is performed using horizon sensors, sun sensors, gyros and magnetometer, four reaction wheels and thrusters. The pointing accuracy is <0.1º in all three axes, attitude stabilization is < 40 µrad/s, the jitter is < 0.2 µrad. S/C mass = 260 kg (178 kg S/C bus, 42 kg of instrument mass and 30 kg of hydrazine), solar panel power (silicon array, fixed panels) = 450 W (EOL), plus 14 Ah NiCd batteries for eclipse operation, the bus power consumption at imaging session is 300 W. S/C design life = 4 years, however the estimated operational life of the satellite is ten years. RF communications: Imagery is transmitted in X-band at a rate of 70 Mbit/s (RF downlink) to the ground receiving stations, using a 1.5 W transmitter and one of the two existing two-axis gimbaled directional antennas. The EROS satellites are monitored/operated in S-Band (TT&C) via a single ground control station (GCS), located at IAI/MBT in Israel (3 to 4 passes per day and per satellite are in station visibility). The S-band data rate is either 2.5 or 15 kbit/s selectable by the GCS. ImageSat has a global network of ground segment infrastructure, for real-time image data acquisition. This network is comprised of the ImageSat Central Ground Control Station, a network of EROS-compatible Ground Receiving Stations on 5 continents and EROS-compatible Ground Control Stations based at exclusive customers' premises (see SOP Program). The EROS A satellite has limited availability of onboard source data storage, as the satellite was designed to cater to customers acquiring real-time, exclusive imaging and download rights over a defined geographic footprint, in view of their own EROS-compatible GRS (Ground Receiving Stations). Operational capabilities/services primarily include: - Satellite Operating Partner (SOP) Program. This service provides a dedicated regional satellite with local customer tasking. SOP receiving ground stations are able to plan, to generate and to transmit imaging commands to the satellite and to download imagery in real-time. - PAS (Priority Acquisition Service) Program. The service provides highest priority tasking of the EROS satellite, in areas not previously acquired by SOP Customers. - Non-exclusive acquisitions. ImageSat sells EROS imagery on a non-exclusive basis to customers for civilian applications, such as mapping, disaster planning and monitoring, environmental management, homeland security and border control, and a range of development-related projects. aunch: EROS-A was launched on a Russian Start-1 launcher on Dec. 5, 2000 from the Svobodny Cosmodrome in eastern Siberia. Orbit for EROS-A: Circular sun-synchronous orbit, altitude 480 km, inclination = 97.3º, period = 94.7 minutes, local time of descending node at 10:00 hours. The revisit capability at at latitude of 10º within a 15º cone is within 10.5 days. A revisit period/satellite at latitude of 10º is 4.5 days within a 30º cone, and only 2.5 days within a 45º cone. Operational status of mission: The EROS-A spacecraft and all subsystems are operating nominally as of 2008. Operations are expected to last until 2010. Background on EROS program: EROS is a program of ImageSat International, N.V., formerly WIS (West Indian Space) Ltd., Cayman Islands. The name change took place in June 2000. ImageSat was re-incorporated in Curacao, Netherlands Antilles. ImageSat's ownership includes: Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI) of Tel-Aviv (owned by the Israeli government), Elbit Systems Ltd. of Haifa, and private investors from Europe and the United States. - EROS-B was launched on April 25, 2006 on a Start-1 launch vehicle from the Svobodny Cosmodrome in eastern Siberia - A third satellite, EROS C, will offer comparable panchromatic resolution to EROS B, as well as multispectral resolution of 2.8 m GSD; it is planned for launch in 2009. Information obtained from http://www.eoportal.org/
Group: Platform_Details Entry_ID: EROS-A1 Group: Platform_Identification Platform_Category: Earth Observation Satellites Short_Name: EROS-A1 End_Group Group: Synonymous_Platform_Names Short_Name: Earth Remote Observation System-A End_Group Group: Platform_Associated_Instruments Short_Name: CAMERAS End_Group Group: Orbit Orbit_Altitude: 480 Orbit_Inclination: 97.3 Period: 94.7 Perigee: 498.6 Apogee: 511.2 Orbit_Type: LEO > Low Earth Orbit > Polar Sun-Synchronous End_Group Creation_Date: 2008-07-09 Online_Resource: http://directory.eoportal.org/get_announce.php?an_id=10063 Group: Platform_Logistics Launch_Date: 2000-12-05 Launch_Site: Svobodny Cosmodrome, Russia Design_Life: 4 years Primary_Sponsor: ImageSat International, Israel End_Group End_Group
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