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EROS-B
EROS-B satellite in deployed configuration
NamesEarth Resources Observation Systems-B
Mission type Earth observation
Operator ImageSat International
COSPAR ID 2006-014A Edit this at Wikidata
SATCAT no.29079
Website https://www.imagesatintl.com/
Mission duration10 years (planned)
17 years, 11 months and 16 days (in progress)
Spacecraft properties
SpacecraftEROS-B
Spacecraft typeEROS-A
Bus OPSAT-2000
Manufacturer Israel Aerospace Industries
Launch mass350 kg (770 lb)
Dimensions2.3 m in height
1.2 m in diameter
Span: 4 m on orbit
Power800 watts
Start of mission
Launch date25 April 2006, 16:47:16 UTC [1]
Rocket Start-1
Launch site Svobodny Cosmodrome,
Launch Complex-5
Contractor Moscow Institute of Thermal Technology
Orbital parameters
Reference system Geocentric orbit [2]
Regime Sun-synchronous orbit
Perigee altitude506 km (314 mi)
Apogee altitude524 km (326 mi)
Inclination97.45°
Period94.79 minutes
←  EROS-A
EROS-NG →
 

The Earth Remote Observation System-B (EROS-B) is the second satellite launched in a series of the EROS family of Israeli commercial Earth observation satellites, designed and manufactured by Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI). [3] It is owned and operated by ImageSat International N.V. (ISI), in the Netherlands Antilles, Cayman Islands, with offices in Limassol, Cyprus, and in Tel Aviv, Israel. [4]

ImageSat International announced that it had begun construction of "EROS B", a day before the launch of "EROS A". According to the plan, the launch of the "EROS B" was to take place in 2001, after which another 6 satellites in the series were planned. In July 2000, the company announced the completion of a capital raising of more than $90 million. A year later, it signed a $70 million credit agreement with Bank Leumi to finance the further development of the satellite series, and announced that the launch of the second satellite had been postponed to 2003. [5] On July 28, 2001, IAI officially signed an agreement with ImageSat International to build the $110 million EROS B satellite. However the project was delayed due to difficulties in signing enough commercial customers to meet the financial costs. [6]

Satellite description

The satellite is 2.3 m in height and 1.2 m in diameter. It weighed 350 kg at launch. The design of the satellite is based on the military reconnaissance satellite Ofeq-3, which was previously built, also by Israel Aerospace Industries for Israeli government use. ImageSat International estimates the satellite will work 14 years. [2]

Control systems

The satellite is equipped with a 3-axis stabilized and a four reaction wheels actuator. The satellite is also equipped with a star tracker, horizon sensor, Sun sensor, gyroscope and magnetometer for altitude determination. [7]

Ground communication systems

The satellite is equipped with an imagery link four times faster than the EROS-A at 280  Mbit/s, a 15 kbit/s maintenance downlink, and a 15 kbit/s command uplink. [8]

Launch

The EROS-B was launched on 25 April 2006, at 16:47:16 UTC [1] from Svobodny Cosmodrome, Launch Complex-5 in eastern Siberia. [9]

3 days after the launch, ImageSat International announced that the satellite had begun sending images from space. [10]

Mission

The satellite offers an optical resolution of 70 cm (28 in), and as of launch date plans were to use it to monitor the developing of the nuclear program of Iran for potential threats to Israeli security. The satellite is equipped with a charge-coupled device (CDD) push broom scanner array, which provides 10,000 pixels per line and a total of 96 lines for selectable Time-Delay Integration (TDI) observation support. The satellite can be operated in both asynchronous and synchronous imaging mode. It has a Ground sample distance (GSD) of 0.70 m panchromatic imagery. Unlike the EROS-A whose primary purpose is to support agricultural engineers, the EROS-B is more specifically designed for illegal construction supervision, general infrastructure monitoring, and emergency monitoring such as oil and gas exploration. EROS-B is the first commercial satellite to offer high spatial resolution images of night-time lights from space. [11]

On 27 June 2016, the safety was the topmost concern for the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games, Rio 2016, ensuring that the people from every nation will be kept safe was a daunting task. To assist with this matter the Israeli satellite, EROS-B captured high-resolution images of up to 50 cm in an area of 450 km, thus enabling the identification of objects, people, cars, and goods. The announcement was made by Brazilian Defense Minister Raul Jungmann. [12]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Launch Log". Jonathan's Space Report. 14 March 2021. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
  2. ^ a b "EROS B". Gunter's Space Page. 7 July 2020. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
  3. ^ "Serbia Settlement IAI Bond Purchase Boost Fortunes of Israel's ImageSat". SpaceNews. 28 January 2011. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
  4. ^ Coren, Ora (26 April 2006). "Israeli Satellite Launched to Spy on Iranian Nuclear Sites". Haaretz.
  5. ^ Barzilai, Amnon (27 July 2001). "ImageSat Signs Credit Deal to Develop EROS Satellite Plans". Haaretz.
  6. ^ Pincas, Gitit (31 January 2006). "ImageSat to raise $30m on TASE ahead of Nasdaq issue". Globes.
  7. ^ "EROS-B". Apollo Mapping. 27 June 2013. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
  8. ^ Hellermann, Rani. "EROS B – Operational Experience, Second year of operation 2008" (PDF). ImageSat. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 February 2013. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
  9. ^ "EROS B (Earth Remote Observation System B)". ESA Earth Observation Portal. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
  10. ^ Coren, Ora (30 April 2006). "Quality of New Israeli Spy Satellite Photos Said 'Excellent'". Haaretz.
  11. ^ Katz, Yali; Levin, Noam (May 2016). "Quantifying urban light pollution — A comparison between field measurements and EROS-B imagery". Remote Sensing of Environment. 177: 65–77. Bibcode: 2016RSEnv.177...65K. doi: 10.1016/j.rse.2016.02.017.
  12. ^ "Israel's EROS-B Satellite Rustles Up High Resolution Images For Rio Olympics". Satnews. 27 June 2016. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
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