...the who's who,
and the what's what 
of the space industry

Copernical Team

Copernical Team

Wednesday, 17 April 2013 19:00

MODIS instrument

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The Moderate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) is a payload scientific instrument launched into Earth orbit by NASA in 1999 on board the Terra (EOS AM) Satellite, and in 2002 on board the Aqua (EOS PM) satellite.

The instruments capture data in 36 spectral bands ranging in wavelength from 0.4 µm to 14.4 µm and at varying spatial resolutions (2 bands at 250 m, 5 bands at 500 m and 29 bands at 1 km). Together the instruments image the entire Earth every 1 to 2 days. They are designed to provide measurements in large-scale global dynamics including changes in Earth's cloud cover, radiation budget and processes occurring in the oceans, on land, and in the lower atmosphere. Three on-board calibrators (a solar diffuser combined with a solar diffuser stability monitor, a spectral radiometric calibration assembly, and a black body) provide in-flight calibration. MODIS has used the Marine Optical Buoy for vicarious calibration.

Wednesday, 17 April 2013 17:22

Brazilian Space Agency (AEB)

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The Brazilian Space Agency (Portuguese: Agência Espacial Brasileira, AEB) is the civilian authority in Brazil responsible for Brazil space program.

It operates a spaceport at Alcântara and a rocket launch site at Barreira do Inferno. The agency has given Brazil a leading role in space in Latin America and has made Brazil a valuable and dependable partner for cooperation in the International Space Station.

Wednesday, 17 April 2013 16:53

Alcântara Launch Center

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The Alcântara Launch Center (CLA) is a satellite launching base of the Brazilian Space Agency in the city of Alcântara, located on Brazil's northern Atlantic coast,

Its geographical location is 2°17′S 44°23′W. It is operated by the Brazilian Air Force (Comando da Aeronáutica). The CLA is the closest launching base to the equator. This gives the launch site a significant advantage in launching geosynchronous satellites, an attribute shared by the Guiana Space Centre.

Wednesday, 17 April 2013 16:42

Telesat Canada

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Telesat Canada, or Telesat, is a global fixed satellite services operator providing reliable and secure satellite-delivered communications solutions worldwide to broadcast, telecom, corporate and government customers. In 2013, Telesat is the fourth-largest fixed satellite services provider in the world.

Telesat Canada was founded on May 1969. It is headquartered in Ottawa, Canada, with offices and facilities around the world. In 2013, the company's fleet consists of 13 satellites and the Canadian Ka-band payload on ViaSat-1, plus one satellite awaiting launch. Telesat also manages the operations of additional satellites for third parties. Privately held, Telesat's principal shareholders are Canada's Public Sector Pension Investment Board and Loral Space & Communications Inc.

On October 5, 2007 Loral Space & Communications Inc. and the Public Pension Investment Board of Canada received the final regulatory approval necessary to complete the acquisition of Telesat from BCE Inc. for CAD $3.25 billion. The acquisition closed on October 31, 2007, with Loral owning 64 percent of Telesat.

At the same time, Telesat Canada merged with Loral Skynet, a subsidiary of Loral Space & Communications. Loral Skynet was a full-service global satellite operator headquartered in Bedminster, New Jersey. This resulted in the transfer of all of the assets of Loral Skynet to Telesat.

Wednesday, 17 April 2013 07:43

SENER

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SENER is a private engineering and technology group founded in 1956 specialized in technological solutions.

For the space industry, SENER has developed from its beginnings mechanisms and mechanical systems that cover almost all the needs of the Flight Segment. Moreover, SENER supplies essential items for completing successful missions, such as Attitude or Control Systems (AOCS) and Guidance, Navigation and Control systems (GNC). All this is backed up with technical solvency, successfully proven with more than 20 satellites and spacecrafts currently operating with SENER equipment on board. In fact, SENER has a major history of meting deliveries, with which it has achieved a reputation for quality and reliability in Space.

Tuesday, 16 April 2013 17:57

Princeton Satellite Systems

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Princeton Satellite Systems, Inc. is a company specializing in aerospace control and simulation technology.

Princeton Satellite Systems is actively developing state-of-the-art technology for launch vehicles and spacecraft navigation. The areas of expertise include control, estimation, optimization and simulation. The company has numerous government contracts.

Princeton Satellite Systems sells commercial software including control toolboxes for MATLAB™, stand-alone simulations, and software libraries for real-time software.

Tuesday, 16 April 2013 17:24

Braxton Technologies

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Braxton Technologies offers a wide variety of products and professional services for government and commercial applications in the fields of:

  • Command & Control
  • Telemetry
  • Planning & Scheduling
  • Simulation

The Global Positioning System (GPS) Program's launch, early-orbit, operations, and disposal command and control functions are currently performed by Braxton's ACE Premier™ product suite.

The ACE Premier™ architectural framework provides an infrastructure of configurable applications, tools and simulators that reduce cost and accelerate deployment of command and control systems. 

Tuesday, 16 April 2013 16:45

UCL Department of Space & Climate Physics

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The UCL Department of Space & Climate Physics, incorporating the Mullard Space Science Laboratory, Surrey, is one of the UK's largest university space science group and a leader in interdisciplinary space science initiatives.

UCL is the University College of London.

The department offers a unique environment at the forefront of space science research. Scientists, students and engineers design, build and test cutting-edge space-borne instruments and analyse the data they return.  Our scientists set future science agendas through exploitation of current assets and design of future space missions to advance our knowledge of the Universe.  Close contact with space agencies such as ESA and NASA and with industrial research teams promotes the development of transferable skills, thereby enhancing job prospects. 

 

 

Tuesday, 16 April 2013 16:29

Centre for Space Medicine

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The Centre for Space Medicine (CSM) is part of the University College London (UCL). 

The CSM focuses on both the facilitation of human space exploration and the improvement of quality of life on Earth through open innovation and cross-disciplinary application of techniques and technology.

The Centre is inherently interdisciplinary in nature involving BioMedical, Cognitive, Robotics/Engineering, Information Technology and Space Sciences domains.

Tuesday, 16 April 2013 16:12

GOLD mission

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The mission, known as the Global-scale Observations of the Limb and Disk, or GOLD, involves imaging Earth's upper atmosphere from a geostationary orbit some 22,000 miles above the planet.

The mission is expected to have a direct impact on the understanding of space weather like geomagnetic storms that alter the temperature and composition of Earth's atmosphere, which can disrupt communication and navigation satellites, affecting everything from automobile GPS and cell phone coverage to television programming.

The GOLD mission is part of NASA's new Heliospheric Explorer Program designed to provide space observations to study Earth's ionosphere and thermosphere. The mission is slated for launch in 2017. 

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