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Axion 3D Atlas
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spot.txt
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1998-01-23
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{bigtext=20,85,"SPOT"}
{4}To see the orbit of the SPOT satellites, click {s,"07,2",here}{4}!
{4}The SPOT satellite Earth Observation System was designed by the CNES
(Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales), France, and developed with the participation
of Sweden and Belgium. The system comprises a series of spacecraft's plus ground
facilities for satellite control and programming, image production and
distribution. The SPOT program is based on two key principles: continuity of
customer services, steadily improving quality of Spot data and services in response
to changing customer needs.
Thanks to the SPOT-1, SPOT-2 and SPOT 3 satellites, the system has been operational
for ten years. SPOT 1 was launched on 22 February 1986, and withdrawn from active
service on 31 December 1990. SPOT 2 was launched on 22 January 1990 and SPOT 3 on
26 September 1993. SPOT 3 will be followed by, ready to be destroyed and launched
in the event of a premature failure of the satellites in orbit. SPOT 4 is scheduled
for launching in late 1997. Engineering work for SPOT 5 has began so that the satellite
can be launched late in 2001 to ensure service continuity.
To meet the increasing demand for SPOT imagery, notably during the northern hemisphere
growing season, SPOT-2 and SPOT-3 are both operational. SPOT's unique features - high
resolution, stereo imaging and revisit flexibility - enable it to gather data on
land use and land cover, areas of special interest (deforestation, erosion,
desertification, urban zones), and the impact of major works on the environment.
After ten years of operation, more than 4 million images have been archived to provide
an unparalleled record of our planet. Satellite-based remote sensing is not only a key
segment of Earth observation, but a prime source of geographic information.
SPOT data has become essential to a wide spectrum of users who look to the continuation
of the SPOT family to prove just how reliable and operational the system has become.