Outlook on availability of satellite Data and Thai remote Satellite Program
3. Thai Remote Sensing Satellite Program
In October 1994 , the ministry of science , Technology and Environment (MOSTE) concluded MOU with the Canadian Space Agency for cooperation in space technology and applications. Consequently ,Thai Government recently gave the provisional approval to NRCT to proceed with the Thai Remote Sensing Satellite program.
MOSTE through the National Research Council of Thailand will own and operate the satellite system. It will be the first satellite to operate in an orbit dedicated to the equatorial regions. The unique feature of this system design will give Thailand a leadership position in Southeast Asia and the global equatorial belt in general. Thailand will be able to assume a role in the international effort to use space to monitor the earth's resources and environment and to assist sustainable development. It also a great opportunity to provide significant human resources development and could be the first step in developing a space related industry in Thailand .
(I) Overall Description
The performance parameters of the Thai Remote Sensing Satellite System are summarized in the following tables:
Table 1 mission performance
| Parameter |
Value |
| Mission life |
5 years |
| Orbit type |
73 orbits / 5 days multi-sun-synchronous |
| Orbit period |
97 minutes |
| Orbit inclination |
28 degrees |
| Orbit altitude |
600 km |
| Coverage repeat |
Every 5 days |
| Illumination repeat |
49 days |
| Command uplink |
S -Band; 2 kbps |
| Telemetry downlink |
S-Band: Direct 2/ 4 kbps Playback 32/ 128 kbps |
| Data downlink |
X -Band: <85Mbps |
Table 2 Temporal performance
| Parameter |
Value |
| Revisit time |
Twice every 5 days |
| Accessibility Region |
29.6 °N to 29.6 °S |
| Maximum Imaging Capability |
10 minutes/orbit |
| Usable opportunities per year |
63 |
Table 3 Spatial Performance
| Parameter |
Value |
| Swath width |
185 km imaged swath which is selectable within a 275 km |
| Across Track Resolution |
30/m (nadir) |
| Along Track Resolution |
30/m (nadir) |
| Geometric Distortion |
<1/2 pixel |
| Band to Band registration |
<1 pixel |
| Image location |
<5km |
Table 4 Spectral Performance
| Parameter |
Value |
| Spectral bandwidths: |
|
| Blue |
0.45 to 0.52 µm ( + - )0.1 |
| Green |
0.52 to 0.60 µm ( + - )0.1 |
| Red |
0.63 to 0.69 µm ( + - )0.1 |
| NIR |
0.76 to 0.90 µm ( + - )0.1 |
4. Conclusion
As NRCT has over fifteen years equipped with remote sensing capabilities both for date reception and extensive applications , now Thailand is embarking on a new direction through Thai remote sensing satellite System . This will not only benefit Thailand but would also provide new opportunity for international collaboration.
