French space agency Centre National d’Etudes Spatiales (CNES), and El-Op, a subsidiary of Elbit Systems (Nasdaq: ESLT; TASE: ESLT), today announced the signing of a contract for the supply of a scientific electro optical space camera called Venms.
The contract is for the production of the camera, which will be mounted onboard a micro satellite. The contract follows a successful feasibility study by El-Op.
The installation of the Venms camera on the micro satellite is pursuant to a cooperation agreement implemented through a memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed in June 2005 between the Israel Space Agency (ISA) and CNES. This is the first cooperation between ISA and CNES.
The contract was signed by El-Op and CNES at a ceremony at El-Op’s facilities in Rehovot, Israel. CNES delegation was led by Pierre Moskwa, Director of Space - Toulouse Center. The ceremony was attended by the ISA’s senior management.
The contract calls for the camera to be supplied in approximately 30 months. CNES intends to launch the satellite eight months later.
The camera, designed and produced by El-Op, is a scientific camera used for research on land surfaces, especially for monitoring the productivity and carbon balance of ecosystems and crops and for water management of irrigated crops. The camera is based on El-Op concepts of super-spectral detectors, including 12 channels in the visible and the near infrared spectrum. The camera will be capable of producing images with a resolution of approximately 5.3 meters.
El-Op general manager Haim Rousso said, “We see great potential for the camera in additional scientific and commercial applications such as agriculture, ground mapping, environment and security monitoring and research."
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes.co.il - on Sunday, October 30, 2005