e2v, Thales Ink 2 Sensor Contracts

Imaging solutions provider e2v and Thales Alenia Space of Neuilly-sur-Seine, France, have signed two contracts worth a total of €4 million ($5.8 million USD). According to the agreements, e2v will supply imaging sensors for high-resolution optical imaging instruments on Thales’ Earth observation satellites.

The first contract is for Göktürk, an Earth observation satellite system for the Turkish Ministry of Defense. Derived from the Proteus platform, which was also developed by Thales Alenia Space, it will include a high-resolution optical instrument similar to the one used in the Europe-based Pleiades program. The satellite is planned to launch in 2013.

The second contract is for Seosat-Ingenio, the first Spanish Earth observation satellite and the first satellite to be built by a consortium of industries from the Spanish space sector primed by Astrium. The satellite system will meet a growing need for data and will provide Spain with full autonomy in image capture for applications such as security, land and natural resource management, and natural disaster management.

The sensors will be delivered over a two-year period starting July 2011.

For more information, visit: www.e2v.com