Azerbaijani satellite monitors South Africa

By Nigar Orujova - AzerNews 

A signal receiving station was set in the South African National Space Agency to get signals from low-orbit satellites SPOT 6 and SPOT 7, the Airbus Defence and Space company reports.

This made possible to ensure coverage of 1,221,000 square meters of South Africa to monitor the Earth's surface. Images are available in the SANSA.

The control of SPOT 7 satellite called “Azersky” was transferred to Azerbaijan based on an agreement signed in December 2014 by Azerbaijan’s space agency Azercosmos and French company Airbus Defence and Space.

The spacecraft was launched in the framework of a strategic cooperation in the space industry between Azerbaijan and France.

The remote-sensing satellite SPOT 6 was launched in September 2012, and SPOT-7 – in June 2014.

“Azersky”, along with its predecessor SPOT 6, is used by both sides. Each of these satellites is capable of daily surveying an Earth's surface area up to three million square kilometers. Resolution of the obtained images is 1.5 meters.

Azerbaijan became a member of the space club by launching its own satellite into orbit in February 2013.

Azerspace-1 telecommunication satellite covers Eastern Europe, the Caucasus, Central Asia and North Africa. The second satellite is scheduled to be launched in 2017.