Norwegian Ais Satellite Slated For 2009 Launch

摘要

The Norwegian government expects to launch a small satellite in 2009 designed to provide ship identification to coastal authorities using a payload developed in Norway, a new satellite platform designed in Canada and India's Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle, according to Oystein Olsen, principal scientist for communications and information technology at the Norwegian Defense Research Establishment.rnIn a presentation to the Global Milsatcom conference Nov. 3 in London, Olsen said the entire project payload design, satellite production and launch, and three years of operations in orbit is budgeted at 4.5 million euros ($5.6 million).rnNorway's AISsat-1 project appears to resemble similar efforts already begun by Orbcomm Inc. of Ft. Lee, N.J., whose first U.S. Coast Guard Automatic Identification System (AIS) payloads were launched this year; and by Com Dev of Canada, which is debuting a similar service using its own technology.