Francisco of Miranda will join Simon Bolivar in space, but not be so close. While the satellite is named after the Liberator is responsible for generating telecommunications, 35 thousand 780 kilometers away from the Earth (geostationary orbit), the satellite Francisco de Miranda is located 640 km (in LEO), because its mission is to observe and photograph Earth.
In a visit to the Bolivarian Agency for Space Activities (ABAE), its executive director, Mariano Imbert, said the launch of this spacecraft is scheduled for late September. In fact, today are earthworks around the agency to install the receiving antennas.
He explained that the satellite will Francisco de Miranda optical equipment to take images, both high resolution and wide scanning.
The photographs will support research on environmental management (biodiversity, meteorology, soil, marine and coastal areas), management of risks (landslides, floods, fires, plate tectonics) and health (environmental variables to detect the movement of disease vectors epidemiological studies).
Also be used in urban and rural planning, cadastre, municipal management, infrastructure services, cartography, geology and geomorphology, hydrography, population data, production systems (crops, crop estimate), as well as security and defense (detection of illegal mining, illicit crops, strategic areas, border surveillance).
The lifetime of this satellite is 5 years, while that of Simon Bolivar is 15. However, since its launch into space in October 2008, have saved fuel planning and control maneuvers will now last 16 ½ years, he said.
The Simon Bolivar satellite is operated from the Abae, located within Air Base Manuel Rios (Bamari) in the town of El Sombrero. That is the main station, with seven antennas, in the Gran Sabana, in Luepa, is the backup station with two antennas.
Specialized training. In the past five years, 1,675 professionals have been trained in space in China, Brazil, India, France and Venezuela. Imbert is part of the first group of 90 people who traveled to China to study, and after returning professionals have trained Creoles.
To strengthen the country's space development is being built in Borburata (Car) Research Center and Space Technology Development, where, besides undertaking research, there will be satellites such as Francisco de Miranda for observation, "not because of Telecommunications we do not have that capability, "said the director of the Abae. Be operational in 2013.
With the National Experimental University of the Armed Forces (Unefa) made an agreement for training in the space area, and are in talks with representatives of the Ministry of Education to include programs of space science and technology in the curriculum so that children familiar with the matter, Mariano said Imbert.
