Orfeo Programme

Orfeo (Optical and Radar Federation for Earth Observation ) is the name of a satellite program that Italy and France perform together since 2006.

Italy contributes four satellites of the COSMO- Skymed program, equipped with imaging radar COSMO SAR. The launch took place from June 2007 to November 2010.

The French contribution consists of two small satellites of the type Pleiades. They carry cameras that reach the earth, a spatial resolution of less than 0.7 m. The first satellite Pleiades -1A should be put in orbit in April 2011, the launch took place on December 17, 2011 by a Soyuz rocket from the European Space Centre in French Guiana. The launch of Pleiades -1B then followed in December 2012. The Pleiades satellites were Astrium ( satellite bus ) and Alcatel Alenia Space ( capacity) built in France. They weigh 1750 kg and orbits the Earth in a sun-synchronous path in 694 km height. You are konzipiert.Vorlage for a lifetime of five years: Future / in 3 years