Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI) is conducting the final tests on its first earth resources observation satellite (EROS), which is scheduled for launch at the end of this year.
The EROS programme, which also involves US company CST and Israel's Elop, is designed to allow the imaging of every point on earth at least once daily. The second satellite is scheduled for launch at the end of next year and the third a year later, with these three to form the basis of an eight-satellite constellation. The craft will be put in orbit by Russian launchers.
The lightweight EROS satellites are based on technology used to build the Offeq-3 - Israel's first spy satellite - which is still in orbit. Elop has developed the optical system that will produce 1m-resolution images. US company Core will provide the software technology and distribute the images.
The EROS satellites are scheduled to be put in helio-synchronous orbits, which allows the constellation to make the revisits to every point on earth at least once a day. The Israeli ministry of defence signed a deal in January to use the EROS imagery.
Source: Flight International
