UK launches revolutionary microsatellites

The way the world monitors and manages natural and man-made disasters will be dramatically improved by revolutionary UK-built microsatellites, the Department of Trade and Industry announced yesterday.

The Disaster Monitoring Constellation (DMC) is the first satellite cluster dedicated to monitoring disasters from space, and is designed to provide more frequent and reliable images to relief agencies.

Three 100kg satellites are to be launched on 26 September, joining AlSAT-1, the first DMC satellite, which was launched for Algeria last November.

The satellites have been developed by UK firm Surrey Satellite Technology (SSTL).

When the full constellation is in place it will be able to provide daily images of anywhere in the world, enabling frequent return passes over the same site for rapid updates or to obtain information if cloud cover has hampered previous attempts.

According to SSTL such actions cannot be achieved by a single satellite, and the expensive, large individual satellites currently in orbit can take several days to revisit a certain area.

Science minister Lord Sainsbury, who launched the scheme, said in a statement: "DMC will be an important tool to help limit the effects of both man-made and natural disasters worldwide.

"By providing near real-time images it will inform and improve relief efforts, enabling aid agencies to target critical assistance to those in need."

SSTL chief executive, Professor Sir Martin Sweeting, added: "The DMC represents a modern approach to space missions and paves the way for other constellations of small satellites for a range of different applications."