Page 42 - Italy In Space
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Earth Observation
July 18, 1991. Launch of ERS (European Remote Sensing from Kourou, was both an experimental
and pre-operational system. It was the forerunner of a new generation of environmental monitoring
satellites, and employed advanced radar techniques in microwaves provided by Alenia Spazio, Rome.
The radar allowed operations regardless of cloud and lighting conditions, ensuring global coverage of
the Earth‟s oceans, coastal zones and polar ice caps.
October 24, 2008. Launch of COSMO-SkyMed-3 from Vandenberg Air Force Base SLC-2. COSMO-
Skymed is a constellation consisting of four Small Satellites for Mediterranean basin Observation,
equipped with Synthetic Aperture Radar operating at X-band, jointly funded by the Italian Ministry of
Research and Ministry of Defence and managed by ASI. They are intended for both military and
civilian use. Commemorative launch cover cancelled at Vandenberg AFB on the day of launch.
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