Mini camera to bring down the cost of earth imaging

17 Jun 2002

A tiny camera costing a fifth of the price of other comparable cameras will fly on the UK Topsat earth imager in 2003.
The camera, developed at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Didcot, UK, will produce black and white images with 2.5 m resolution and colour images with 5 m resolution.

Nigel Morris, project manager for the camera, said: "This project gives Britain an opportunity to demonstrate how its world-class technology can be used to make space imaging affordable for the user."

The 100 kg microsatellite will be built by Surrey Satellite Technology and the programme will be managed by the Defence Evaluation & Research Agency, a government body.
Education will be a major beneficiary of the images which will be placed on the web to enable UK schools to investigate the many uses for high resolution optical data. Current optical satellites are too expensive and the Topsat team hope that the microsatellite will demonstrate the concept of a constellation of optical satellites that will continuously monitor the earth supplying data on agriculture, disasters and pollution.