This Monday, Eutelsat, Airbus and ESA presented the new Quantum satellite in Portsmouth, UK. A communications satellite of the latest generation, it is much more versatile than anything that came before.
Image: Airbus
Advertisement
On July 9th 2015, less than three years ago, Eutelsat, Airbus, and the European Space Agency (ESA) signed an agreement for the construction of a telecommunications satellite called the "Quantum" that would be very different from all its predecessors. And now construction is finished: On Monday, the engineering partners presented the Quantum in the British coastal town of Portsmouth, with ESA astronaut Tim Peake in attendance.
What is special about the Quantum? It is a so-called "chameleon" satellite. That means it can quickly adapt and change its character, at the push of a button - according to the needs of its controllers.
In concrete terms, this means the controllers can re-target the signal beams the satellite sends to earth toward specific geographic regions, as needed. They can also separately change the strength, frequency, and bandwidth of its signal.
So far: A defined footprint
Until now, conventional communication satellites have had a rather static build: They each sit in their fixed geostationary position in orbit, where they receive and broadcast signals on one or more preset frequencies. They relay the signals back to earth on a fixed frequency with a fixed signal strength, toward a predefined geographic footprint.
The footprint looks like a large spot on the map. At the edge of the spot, the signal is typically somewhat weaker. To receive the signal near the edge of the footprint, one needs a larger parabolic antenna. In the center, a smaller antenna is enough – often a dish less than a meter in diameter suffices.
The farther a satellite dish is from the center of the footprint, the larger is the required antenna. Image: Getty Images/S. Gallup
The future: Eight footprints
With the new Quantum satellite, most of these parameters will be variable. While it too will be in geostationary orbit, it won't broadcast just one large beam back to earth, but rather, eight different beams. So it will create eight footprints, each of which can be controlled separately. The footprints' diameters can vary from between 600 kilometers in diameter, all the way up to a size covering a third of the earth's surface. And users will be able to change each beam's signal strength, bandwidth, and frequency.
Technically, it would be possible to have a beam follow its target permanently. For example, it would be possible to reserve one of the eight beams for communication with a large naval unit, such as an aircraft carrier led naval battle group. With a tightly focused beam following the group, the signals could be received only in relative proximity to the carrier's theater of operations. This will make it more difficult for adversaries to intercept communication.
The ability to change the satellite's transmission frequency at short notice is also a security feature: Should anybody attempt to disrupt the satellite by sending illicit signals to it, the user could simply change to another frequency.
In addition to broadcasting on eight separate channels, the satellite also will be tuned to receive signals from eight different geographic locations on Earth. This means the satellite can only be targeted by sending signals from these specific, defined areas on the planet's surface.
This will make jamming almost impossible. Jamming involves bombarding a satellite with very strong noise signals at the frequency it uses to communicate, so that legitimate signals can't get through. Since the satellite will be able to determine from where the jamming signals emerge, it can tune those areas out.
Many features of the Quantum satellite originate in research for military purposes, and it can be expected that many future users will come from that domain. However, soon the technology will also be available to civilian customers.
Start in 2019
The Quantum satellite is expected to be launched sometime in 2019. The first Quantum satellite is meant to take a position above the Atlantic, from where it can serve the Americas, Europe, and Africa.
But that is certainly not going to be the end of the story. More likely, chameleon satellites similar to the Quantum are going to become the new standard in communications satellite technology.
The amazing things Sentinel satellites see
So far the EU's Copernicus program has sent three Sentinel satellites to observe Earth - 1A, 2A and 3A. But they're just the first halves. Enter Sentinel-1B, and the first mission becomes whole.
Image: ESA/Copernicus Sentinel data 2015
From the French Riviera
It may be among the strangest places on Earth, but this is where a lot of the European Union's Sentinel satellite equipment is being built for the Copernicus Earth Observation program. In Cannes, Thales Alenia Space is responsible for the Sentinel-1 satellites and a few of the others, too. The contractors include Airbus and many more. Sentinel-1B launches this week, making the first mission whole.
Image: ESA/Copernicus Sentinel data 2015
The story so far
Sentinel-1A was the first to launch on April 3, 2014. Since then, two have followed - Sentinel-2A on June 23, 2015 and Sentinel-3A on February 16, 2016. This shot from Sentinel-3A is one of its earliest. It shows the River Nile and Delta and parts of the Middle East. Using a sea and land surface temperature radiometer (SLSTR), the satellite measures the energy radiating from Earth's surface.
Image: ESA/modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2016
In spectacular true color
This incredibly sharp image shows Red Sea coral reefs off the coast of Saudi Arabia. It was captured by Sentinel-2A on June 28, 2015. The quality of the Sentinel images is a vast improvement on previous satellite missions, such as Envisat. The Sentinel-2 mission is for land monitoring. It provides images of vegetation, soil and water cover, inland waterways and coastal areas.
Image: ESA/Copernicus Sentinel data 2015
In spectacular false color
This false color image of south Khartoum in Sudan was one of the first from Sentinel-2A, captured five days after it arrived in orbit. In the top right corner you can see a bit of the Blue Nile River. The scattered red blotches along the river banks indicate dense vegetation, which is one of the things the satellite monitors. It's a false color image, as color was added to aid interpretation.
Image: ESA/Copernicus Sentinel data 2015
Harbor under threat
This is another great shot from Sentinel-2A, showing Sierra Leone in West Africa. The country's capital, Freetown, is on the peninsula at the bottom of the image. Its economy depends on the natural deep water harbor. But ESA says the estuary is "threatened by a growing population [and] unauthorized housing development," which has caused the removal of many hectares of mangrove vegetation.
Image: ESA/Copernicus Sentinel data 2015
The 'Yuma checkerboard'
Many of the Sentinel images are like works of art. You don't really have to know what's going on to appreciate them. But scientists, policymakers and authorities charged with national security rely on satellite imagery. And given the tools and skills, normal folk can benefit too. The Copernicus program is driven by a principle of Open Data. This shows Yuma in southwestern Arizona.
Image: ESA/Copernicus Sentinel data 2015
Tracking change in the Aral Sea
This is the Aral Sea as captured by Sentinel-1A. It's a composite of three radar scans taken between 2014 and 2015. ESA says the Aral Sea is a "striking example of humankind's impact on the environment and natural resources. [...] It has lost around 90 percent of its water volume since 1960 because of Soviet-era irrigation schemes." The different colors show the changes between the scans.
Image: ESA/Copernicus Sentinel data 2014/2015
Meanwhile, Back in Berlin…
Captured by Sentinel-2A, this image shows a vibrant Berlin, the German capital, in exquisite detail. It shows how green the city is, with the Tegeler See and Wannsee on the western side. There's also the former airport, the Tempelhofer Feld, in the lower center of the image, which in summer blooms with people, kites and bikes. All these images can be seen in full: www.esa.int/spaceimages/Images
Image: ESA/Copernicus Sentinel data 2015
8 images1 | 8
Discovering the secrets of our planet
Earth observation satellites can help us understand planet Earth better. They can do much more than just predicting the weather - an overview
Image: NASA.gov
Measuring the sea level
Jason-3 was launched on January 17th, 2016. It took over from Jason-2 in October of that year. The satellite became part of a large Network of NASA satellites, looking at sea Levels and at oceanic and atmospheric currents.
Image: NASA.gov
Is the sea level rising, or is the continent sinking?
Level recorders installed at shore can't answer that question. However, satellites can recognize continental shift. That's why NASA launched its Ocean Surface Topography Mission (OSTM) using the satellites Topex/Poseidon, Jason-1, -2 and later -3 to solve the mystery. Jason-2 sent us topographical radar images, and its successor Jason-3 has additional tools on board -- a radiometer and a laser.
Image: NASA.gov
Lots of data for environment and development
Without Earth observation satellites, we would not understand our planet as well as we do now. Sentinel-2 took this picture of the northern shore of the Adriatic with the Italian Alps in late June, shortly after its launch. Sentinel-2 is part of the European Space Agency's (ESA) comprehensive Copernicus Earth observation program.
Image: Copernicus data/ESA
Small box, great camera
Sentinel-2 uses a spectrometer, which is a special camera that can take pictures at numerous light wavelengths. This enables scientists to see all kinds of details in pictures that you can't detect with the naked eye, including the status of vegetation or the moisture in the soil. Here, engineers are preparing the satellite for its journey.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/P. Kneffel
What grows where and how well?
A view of Northern Italy: The city of Pavia in the upper left corner with the river Ticino flowing into the larger Po. The infrared spectrum of the camera reveals the state of the agriculture: Scientists can even see what is growing on the fields - is it corn, wheat or pumpkins on this one?
Image: Copernicus data/ESA
Twins for better observation
Many Earth observation satellites are not alone in their mission; they do their job better as a team. This is also true for Sentinel-1 and -2, which eventually will each get a support satellite. Together they can document every spot on the surface of the planet every five days. The Copernicus Program includes six modules (Sentinel-1 through -6) for all kinds of tasks.
Image: ESA/ATG medialab
Radar for topography
One task is measuring the topography of the land, just as Jason-3 does with the sea. Sentinel-1 is built for that, with its large radar antennas. It can detect hills, mountains and valleys. The data the satellite generates can later be combined with the data from Sentinel-2 or other satellites. This gives farmers, developers and environmental agencies exactly the information they need.
Image: ESA/ATG medialab
The Netherlands are all but flat.
The radar-eye of the satellite took this picture of the Dutch coast. It shows that the country is not as flat as many may believe. Dunes, buildings and levees can be clearly seen.
Image: ESA
Its not just, what's on the surface…
ESA's SWARM mission is a whole different type of Earth observation: Three satellites are circling the Earth, looking deep into the core of the planet. The SWARM satellites have been recording changes in the magnetic field of the Earth since 2013.
Image: Astrium/picture-alliance/dpa
Changes you cannot see
Scientists are interested in the Earth's magnetic field because it is constantly changing. Under the Earth's crust, magma is constantly moving and changing the magnetic makeup. Even the magnetic poles sometimes swap places. Knowing this is extremely important for the sea and air navigation.
Image: GFZ
Observing Earth with the Sun in mind
Earth magnetism also affects our relationship to the sun. The magnetic field shields us against cosmic and sun rays, which can be particularly strong after sunspot eruptions. If the Earth's magnetism changes, it also changes the way particles from solar rays travel around the Earth's poles. Satellites looking toward Earth can sometimes reveal these secrets from far away.
