SPOT

Satellite Pour l'Observation de la Terre (SPOT).SPOT - the Satellite Earth Observation System was designed in France, and developed with the participation of Sweden and Belgium. The system comprises a series of spacecrafts plus ground facilities for satellite control and programming, image production and distribution.The SPOT satellites capture panchromatic and multispectral imagery in resolutions ranging from 2.5m to 20m. The satellites are fitted with two independent imaging instruments, containing detector arrays that operate using a 'Push Broom' technique. This results in high geometric accuracy across the full 60km wide swath. Each instrument is also fitted with a steerable mirror that allows it to image areas up to 27 degrees east or west off the vertical, which increases the revisit capability and provides stereo imagery for digital elevation modelling. Importantly, the SPOT satellites can be programmed to target client specific areas of interest. History: SPOT 1 was launched on 22 February 1986 with 10m panchromatic and 20m multispectral capability. The satellite was withdrawn from active service on 31 December 1990. SPOT 2 was launched on 22 January 1990 and is still operational. SPOT 3 was launched on 26 September 1993. An incident occurred on 14 November 1997 and after 4 years in orbit the satellite stopped functioning. SPOT 4 was launched on 24 March 1998 and includes an extra Short Wave Infrared band and a (low resolution) vegetation instrument. SPOT 5 was launched on 4 May 2002 with 2.5m, 5m and 10m capability, as well as along-track stereoscopic sensors. System continuity will be assured by a constellation of new-generation minisatellites known as Pleiades.