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British Satellite Captures Lunar Eclipse
Guildford - Jan. 10, 2000 A British minisatellite, UoSAT-12, built by Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd (SSTL), has imaged a cloudless Lunar eclipse from a 650km low Earth orbit. Surrey engineers, working from Mission Control at the Surrey Space Centre, pointed the small satellite's multispectral camera - normally pointing Earthwards - to the Moon in order to capture last night's eclipse from space. The image, taken at 1920 hrs GMT, was actually 40 minutes before total eclipse. Surrey's remote sensing cameras are returning remarkable images of the Earth's surface - in LANDSAT-compatible bands. Whereas conventional Earth observation and remote sensing satellite missions are extremely costly - typically in excess of �150M each - Surrey's minisatellite mission was developed for less than �6M. To meet this demanding budget, Surrey's engineers designed their remote sensing cameras using commercial off-the-shelf components, such as standard camera lenses and digital-camera imaging electronics. Surrey's unique approach contrasts starkly with the traditional space engineering technique of having all components custom made for space use. Yet the results of Surrey's space missions compare favourably with their high-cost cousins. This lunar eclipse image is just the latest in a series of stunning results from Surrey's UoSAT-12 minisatellite, launched April 1999. Engineers turned the satellite toward the moon to demonstrate it's agility and the sensitivity of it's on-board control and imaging systems. The technology demonstrated by this manoeuvre will be used by Surrey in several upcoming commercial satellite missions, including two under development for the British National Space Centre's MOSAIC programme. Community Email This Article Comment On This Article Related Links Surrey Satellite Technology UoSAT-12 Mission Page SpaceDaily Search SpaceDaily Subscribe To SpaceDaily Express Space Technology News - Applications and Research
NGC Chosen To Proceed With Developing Solid-State Laser Technology For Military Applications
Redondo Beach CA (SPX) Jan 09, 2006Northrop Grumman Corporation has been selected to develop "military-grade," solid-state laser technology that is expected to pave the way for the U.S. military to incorporate high-energy laser systems across all services, including ships, manned and unmanned aircraft, and ground vehicles. |
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