• The Pléiades 1B Earth-imaging satellite will be orbited 2:01 UT on 1 December 2012 from Kourou atop a Soyuz launcher
• Pléiades 1B will be phased 180° from Pléiades 1A on the same orbit, the two satellites facing each other to provide daily revisit, very-high-resolution capability

Astrium Services is pleased to announce to customers, partners and the remote-sensing industry that Arianespace has set the launch of Pléiades 1B for Saturday 1 December 2012 at 2:01 UT. The second satellite in the Pléiades constellation will be orbited by a Soyuz launcher from Europe’s spaceport in French Guiana.

Once Pléiades 1B has joined Pléiades 1A in orbit, they will form a constellation of identical twin satellites operated by Astrium Services. The two satellites will be phased 180° on the same orbit to ensure daily revisits to any point on the globe. This unique very-high-resolution configuration will offer civil and military users faster imaging of areas of interest, a regular surveillance capability and a twofold increase in coverage.

With 50-cm products delivered in record time, multiple imaging modes and daily revisits, the Pléiades constellation will enable more-detailed Earth observation for a broad spectrum of precision applications including site monitoring, disaster relief support, urban mapping and sustainable management of natural resources.

Pléiades 1A was launched 17 December 2011 from the Soyuz launch pad in French Guiana. It has since acquired more than 40 million km² of imagery to add to the 100 billion km² already acquired by the SPOT satellites.

Pléiades 1A imagery is available on line at https://geostore.astrium-geo.com

For more information and to watch the launch, visit www.astrium-geo.com

A constellation of 4 satellites en route to orbit

The launch of Pléiades 1B marks the third step in the formation of a constellation of four satellites combining a double daily revisit capability and an ingenious range of resolutions.

From 2014, this constellation will comprise Pléiades 1A and Pléiades 1B, delivering 50-cm imagery products, and SPOT 6 and SPOT 7, designed to assure continuity of service after SPOT 5 and to supply high-resolution data products (1.5 m). SPOT 6 was launched on 9 September 2012.

Astrium Services is the exclusive distributor of data and geo-information products from this unique constellation.

Through its GEO-Information business, Astrium Services is recognized as one of the leaders in the geo-spatial information market, not least thanks to the now fully integrated skills and resources of the former Spot Image and Infoterra. The company provides decision-makers with complete solutions enabling them to increase security, boost agricultural performance, maximize oil & gas or mining operations, improve their management of natural resources, and protect the environment. It has exclusive access to data from the SPOT, TerraSAR-X, TanDEM-X and Pléiades satellites, coupled with a complete range of space-based data sources and airborne acquisition capability allowing it to offer an unrivalled scope of Earth observation products and services. This extensive portfolio covers the entire geo-information supply chain, from the generation of images to the provision of high added-value information to end-users.

By leveraging the synergies and expertise available across the whole of Astrium Services, its GEO-Information teams develop innovative, yet competitive, custom-made solutions based on the combination and integration of Earth observation, navigation and high-end telecommunications.

Dr. Fabienne Grazzini    

Operational Marketing

GEO-Information Services