EROS (satellite)
Encyclopedia
Earth Resources Observation Satellite (EROS) is a series of Israel
i commercial Earth observation satellite
s, designed and manufactured by Israel Aircraft Industries
(IAI), with optical payload supplied by El-Op. The satellites are owned and operated by ImageSat International, another Israeli company, with some 35 full-time employees (of IntelSat's total of 50). EROS A was launched, on December 5, 2000 and EROS B on April 25, 2006.
n Start-1
launcher on December 5, 2000, from the Svobodny Launch Complex
in eastern Siberia
, to a Low Earth orbit
(LEO) altitude of 480 km. The satellite provides commercial images with an optical resolution
of 1.8 meters. The satellite orbits earth in a sun synchronous orbit, so that its imaged target is always in daylight. It always crosses the equator
at 9:45am local time.
Its dimensions: height: 2.3 m, diameter: 1.2 m, head: 0.7 m. It weighed 250 kg at launch. It was built based on the military reconnaissance satellite Ofeq 3
, which was previously built, also by IAI and El-Op, for Israeli government use.
EROS B was finally launched on April 25, 2006 aboard a Russian Start-1 rocket
from the Svobodny Launch Complex in eastern Siberia. The satellite offers an optical resolution
of 70 cm (about two feet), and as of launch date plans were to use it to monitor Iran
's developing nuclear program
for potential threats to Israeli security.
ImageSat announced plans to launch a total of three more satellites in later dates, in order to provide full coverage of the entire planet surface with six functional satellites.
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i commercial Earth observation satellite
Earth observation satellite
Earth observation satellites are satellites specifically designed to observe Earth from orbit, similar to reconnaissance satellites but intended for non-military uses such as environmental monitoring, meteorology, map making etc....
s, designed and manufactured by Israel Aircraft Industries
Israel Aircraft Industries
Israel Aerospace Industries or IAI is Israel's prime aerospace and aviation manufacturer, producing aerial systems for both military and civilian usage. It has 16,000 employees as of 2007...
(IAI), with optical payload supplied by El-Op. The satellites are owned and operated by ImageSat International, another Israeli company, with some 35 full-time employees (of IntelSat's total of 50). EROS A was launched, on December 5, 2000 and EROS B on April 25, 2006.
EROS A
EROS A was launched on the RussiaRussia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n Start-1
START-1
Start-1 is a Russian satellite launch vehicle based on the RT-2PM Topol, a Soviet intercontinental ballistic missile developed by Moscow Institute of Thermal Technology.- History :...
launcher on December 5, 2000, from the Svobodny Launch Complex
Svobodny (launch site)
Svobodny was a Russian rocket launch site used since 1996 and located at 51 degrees north in the Amur Oblast. Originally constructed as a launch site for intercontinental ballistic missiles called Svobodny-18, it was planned as a replacement for Baikonur Cosmodrome, which became a foreign...
in eastern Siberia
Siberia
Siberia is an extensive region constituting almost all of Northern Asia. Comprising the central and eastern portion of the Russian Federation, it was part of the Soviet Union from its beginning, as its predecessor states, the Tsardom of Russia and the Russian Empire, conquered it during the 16th...
, to a Low Earth orbit
Low Earth orbit
A low Earth orbit is generally defined as an orbit within the locus extending from the Earth’s surface up to an altitude of 2,000 km...
(LEO) altitude of 480 km. The satellite provides commercial images with an optical resolution
Optical resolution
Optical resolution describes the ability of an imaging system to resolve detail in the object that is being imaged.An imaging system may have many individual components including a lens and recording and display components...
of 1.8 meters. The satellite orbits earth in a sun synchronous orbit, so that its imaged target is always in daylight. It always crosses the equator
Equator
An equator is the intersection of a sphere's surface with the plane perpendicular to the sphere's axis of rotation and containing the sphere's center of mass....
at 9:45am local time.
Its dimensions: height: 2.3 m, diameter: 1.2 m, head: 0.7 m. It weighed 250 kg at launch. It was built based on the military reconnaissance satellite Ofeq 3
Ofeq
Ofeq, also spelled Offek or Ofek is the designation of a series of Israeli reconnaissance satellites first launched in 1988. All Ofeq satellites have been carried on top of Shavit rockets from Palmachim Airbase in Israel, on the Mediterranean coast. The Low Earth Orbit satellites complete one...
, which was previously built, also by IAI and El-Op, for Israeli government use.
EROS B
ImageSat initially planned to launch a similar satellite every 6 months after EROS A.EROS B was finally launched on April 25, 2006 aboard a Russian Start-1 rocket
Rocket
A rocket is a missile, spacecraft, aircraft or other vehicle which obtains thrust from a rocket engine. In all rockets, the exhaust is formed entirely from propellants carried within the rocket before use. Rocket engines work by action and reaction...
from the Svobodny Launch Complex in eastern Siberia. The satellite offers an optical resolution
Optical resolution
Optical resolution describes the ability of an imaging system to resolve detail in the object that is being imaged.An imaging system may have many individual components including a lens and recording and display components...
of 70 cm (about two feet), and as of launch date plans were to use it to monitor Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
's developing nuclear program
Nuclear program of Iran
The nuclear program of Iran was launched in the 1950s with the help of the United States as part of the Atoms for Peace program. The support, encouragement and participation of the United States and Western European governments in Iran's nuclear program continued until the 1979 Iranian Revolution...
for potential threats to Israeli security.
Plans
In January 2011 it was stated that work would begin "in the near term" on a new Eros C satellite.ImageSat announced plans to launch a total of three more satellites in later dates, in order to provide full coverage of the entire planet surface with six functional satellites.