27421 - SPOT 5

SPOT 5 is a French (CNES), earth-imaging, three-ton satellite that was launched by an Ariane 42P rocket from Kourou at 00:31 UT on 2002 May 4. Its planar and stereoscopic relief images at about three-meter resolution will be marketed for civilian and military uses, for cartographic, and vegetation analyses. Panchromatic (at 2.5-m resolution) as well as multispectral images (at 10-m resolution) could be obtained. The position of the satellite, and hence the location of the images, could be determined at 15-m accuracy by means of the DORIS position determination instrument. The initial orbital parameters were period 101.4 min, apogee 826 km, perigee 825 km, and inclination 98.8 deg.

Facts in Brief

Launch Date: 2002-05-04
Launch Vehicle: Ariane 42P
Launch Site: Kourou, French Guiana