Sign In
Learn bits
Science & Tech.
Pradeep Kumar

02/02/22 11:20 AM IST

SpaceX launches Italian Earth-observation satellite

In news

SpaceX has finally launched an Italian satellite aboard its Falcon 9 rocket from a station in Florida, US.

Details
  • The rocket carrying the Cosmo-SkyMed Second Generation FM2 (CSG-2) satellite lifted off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
  • CSG is an Italian government system consisting of two satellites that observe Earth using synthetic aperture radar.
  • The first (CSG-1) was launched in December 2019 aboard a Soyuz rocket from French Guiana and is currently operating in a sun-synchronous polar orbit at an altitude of 620km.
  • CSG-2 will also operate in the same orbit.
  • The system, with some improvements, is set to replace the original Cosmo-SkyMed system launched between 2007 and 2010.
Purpose

COSMO-SkyMed Second Generation['s] purpose is to monitor the Earth for the sake of emergency prevention, strategy, scientific and commercial purposes, providing data on a global scale to support a variety of applications among which risk management, cartography, forest and environment protection, natural resources exploration, land management, defense and security, maritime surveillance, food and agriculture management.

SpaceX
  • Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (doing business as SpaceX) is an American aerospace manufacturer, a provider of space transportation services, and a communications corporation headquartered in Hawthorne, California.
  • SpaceX was founded in 2002 by Elon Musk with the goal of reducing space transportation costs to enable the colonization of Mars.
  • SpaceX manufactures the Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy launch vehicles, several rocket engines, Cargo Dragon, crew spacecraft, and Starlink communications satellites.

More Related Current Affairs View All

15 Nov

Government issues guidelines to curb misleading ads by coaching centres

'The central Government issued new guidelines aimed at curbing misleading advertisements by coaching institutes, specifically prohibiting false promises such as "100 per cent selec

Read More

15 Nov

Janjatiya Gaurav Divas

'Every year on November 15th, Janjatiya Gaurav Divas is celebrated to honor the contributions of these communities, especially in India’s freedom struggle.' 5th November

Read More

15 Nov

Supreme Court’s order on mandatory accessibility standards

'A bench of the Supreme Court last week ordered the Union government to frame mandatory rules for ensuring the accessibility of public places and services to persons with disabilit

Read More

India’s First Ai-Driven Magazine Generator

Generate Your Custom Current Affairs Magazine using our AI in just 3 steps