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France
and Italy to Jointly Develop Cosmo Pleiades Remote Sensing System
The French and
Italian governments have agreed to jointly develop a billion-dollar
system of radar and optical satellites for military and civilian use
to be called Cosmo Pleiades. A cooperation agreement was signed
merging France's Pleiades system (two high-resolution optical
satellites) with Italy's Skymed-Cosmo system (four radar
satellites).
Each satellite is
expected to weigh no more than 1,000 kg (2,205 lbm) and will carry a
single optical or radar viewing instrument. Radar payloads will be
provided by Alenia Aerospazio and optical payloads by Alcatel Space.
Each satellite will have a ground resolution of 1 meter (3 feet).
Launches are planned between 2003 and 2006. The system has an
estimated cost of about US$950 million (1 billion euro).
As
part of the agreement Italy has secured access to the French Spot 5
optical satellite, set for launch in 2001. Spot 5 will have a ground
resolution of 2.5 m (8 ft). Italy's defense authorities will also
have access to France's Helios 2 spy satellite, now in development.
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