EROS

EROS A (Earth Resources Observation Systems) is the first in a constellation of sun-synchronous, polar-orbiting satellites that Image Sat plans to deploy during this decade. EROS A owned by ImageSat International, which belongs to Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI) and Electro-Optics Industries of Israel.

EROS (Earth Remote Observation System) A1 was launched in December 2000 as the first constellation of eight high-resolution imaging satellites to be launched between year 2001 and 2005. EROS satellites are high performance, low cost, light, and agile and have been designed for low earth orbit (LEO). The satellites are owned and operated by ImageSat International. This Cyprus-based company was established in 1997 by a consortium of leading satellite, sensor and information management companies and information producers around the world.

In February 2001, a couple of months after EROS A1 was launched, ImageSat decided to forgo the production and launch of its planned EROS A2 satellite. The company cited EROS B series' better performance and longer life span as the main reasons. EROS B series will have higher resolution imaging sensors than the company's first satellite. ELOP, the manufacturer of EROS sensors and cameras, has designed EROS B series camera to carry a device that enables synchronous imaging of Earth under weak lighting conditions.

All EROS satellites will go into polar orbit and are sun-synchronous so all images photographed by a given satellite will be taken at the same local time, no matter the day, month, or year. The orbital period (time taken for one revolution around the Earth) of each satellite is 90 minutes or 16 revolutions of the Earth in 24 hours. EROS satellites are unrivaled in their ability to acquire numerous specific images of the ground due to a high-resolution camera aboard the satellite. The camera has a focal plane of CCD (Charge Coupled Device) detectors with 7,800 pixels per line and produces a panchromatic image with a resolution of 1.8-m pixel spacing. EROS remotely sensed data is used by scholars, engineers, land managers, and policy makers worldwide conducting studies on a wide range of natural hazards, global environmental change, land use planning and landscape transformation, and economic development and conservation issues. Spatial resolutions images are used for different applications.

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