As of late January the Peruvian State will start receiving images from its state-of-the-art Astrosat-300 satellite, to be monitored at the National Satellite Imagery Operations Center (CNOIS), Defense Minister Jakke Valakivi announced.
Valakivi toured the facilities of the ground station built on a 3,600 square meter area in Punta Lobos, Pucusana, about 50 kilometers south of Lima.
French company Airbus Defense and Space, world leader in the export of Earth-observation satellite systems, will materialize such space technology in Peru and, therefore, contribute to the national development through satellite information.
The cutting-edge Astrosat-300 satellite is made of silicon carbide, weighs 400 kilograms — one third the weight of similar observation satellites — and has a lifetime of about 10 years.
The satellite has a submetric resolution of 0.7 meters, the most powerful in Latin America, which provides accurate detection of different objects over the earth’s surface. Images will be taken in panchromatic (black-and-white) and multispectral (full color) mode.
According to the Ministry of Defense, not only has Peru acquired a satellite, but also will have access to six French satellites that capture images with different types of resolution (submetric, optical and radar image).
(END) NDP/FHG/RMB/MVB
Published: 10/28/2015