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RapidEye Utilizes Surrey MicroSat DesignMunich - February 2, 2000 - RapidEye AG (RE) of Munich, Germany, today announced an agreement with Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd. (SSTL) based at the Surrey Space Centre, UK, to become the prime contractor and spacecraft platform supplier for the $100M USD RapidEye constellation of four advanced Earth Observation minisatellites. To strengthen the partnership SSTL plans an equity investment in RapidEye. RapidEye Inc., incorporated in December 1998, is a new satellite based GEO-information service company and concentrates on customers in the agricultural and cartographic segments. Significant advantages will be realized due to the high resolution, quality, and availability of the data and the speed and accuracy of the data evaluation. RapidEye's clients will receive jointly developed geographic information products which will be integrated in the clients' work processes and offer significant cost advantages and new revenue potential. The RapidEye Earth Observation system, to be launched in 2002, will provide 6.5-metres resolution wide-swath multispectral imaging with a daily revisit and is targeted primarily at agricultural applications. The 380kg RapidEye minisatellites will use the SSTL minisatellite platform whose capability has been demonstrated in orbit by the SSTL UoSAT-12 mission, launched in April 1999. Announcing the decision, Dr. Manfred Krischke of RapidEye AG said "This agreement with SSTL is a major milestone for us to realize our unique geo-information service. Being able to monitor fields on a worldwide scale and to accurately predict the world harvest for different crops will impact the agricultural (precision farming), industrial (food industry) and trading (commodity markets) sectors dramatically. "We are pleased to have such an experienced, competitive and reliable partner as Surrey. This is a major step for RapidEye to fulfill the aggressive cost and time schedule for the launch of our services in 2002," added Krischke. On hearing of their successful bid, Prof. Martin Sweeting, CEO of SSTL, said "SSTL is delighted to be selected to work with RapidEye on this pioneering commercial Earth Observation system and builds on our design, manufacturing, launch and operations experience acquired over 19 years and 16 separate micro/minisat missions. "We have experienced increasing interest in our minisatellite platform since the highly-successful UoSAT-12 launch last year. This RapidEye award has followed SSTL's selection by NASA for RAPID-II and DBS Inc. to build the ESAT constellation comprising 6 microsatellites. "These awards show that SSTL's low cost microsatellites and minisatellites are a good solution for affordable commercial space constellations," said Sweeting.
MICROSAT BLITZ
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Guildford - October 25, 1999 - The Surrey Space Centre has successfully fired the first electric "Resistojet" to be used in space by a western European country. Developed at the Surrey Space Centre, the Resistojet is now flying in Earth orbit onboard Surrey's latest minisatellite, UoSAT-12.