Illustration of the Kazakhstan KazEOSat-1 satellite (image credit: SSTL)
Kazakhstan first ever remote sensing or earth observation satellite, KazEOSat-1,was to launched from Kourou, The Space Centre of French Guinea on April 29, 2014. But was postponed due to weather conditions.
KazEOSat-1 was successfully launched from the French Guiana Space Center, Kazakh Space Agency reported on April 30.
KazEOSat-1 satellite also known as MRES (Medium Resolution Eartn Observation Satellite). It weights 185 kg and have capability to image and downlink one million square kilometers per day. The satellite will deliver wide swath multispectral imagery of the Kazah territory and other part of earth.
The mission have operational lifetime of 7 years. The key objectives of the KazEOSat-1 mission is to provide a state-of-the-art medium resolution imaging satellite and the accompanying ground segment to KGS, to provide agile imaging modes and capability of imaging up to 1,000,000 km2 per day.
The project was initiated in late 2009, and is the first collaboration between SSTL and Astrium since its ownership change (Note: in April 2008, EADS Astrium NV acquired SSTL from the University of Surrey).
