Posted: Tue, Oct 7, 2003, 2:08 PM ET (1808 GMT)
The French space agency CNES announced late last week that it has awarded contracts to the two major European satellite manufacturers for a new series of high-resolution imaging spacecraft. CNES announced that EADS Astrium will build the two Pleiades spacecraft under a contract valued at €314 million (US$360 million). Alcatel Space will build the high-resolution cameras that will be installed on the spacecraft, according to CNES. The first of the two spacecraft is scheduled for launch in mid-2008, with the other to be launched in 2009. The spacecraft, each weighing 1,000 kilograms and generating one kilowatt of power, will be used as part a dual-use civilian and military program, taking images with resolutions as sharp as 70 centimeters per pixel. Pleiades is part of a French-Italian program called Orfeo; Italy is contributing the Cosmo-Skymed series of radar satellites.

Related Links:

•  CNES press release
•  Space News article (subscription required)