The Sundarbans, comprising southern Bangladesh and a small part of the Indian state of west Bengal, include approximately 10,000 square kilometers of mangrove and swamp forests”the world's largest single chunk of tidal halophytic mangrove forest.
SmallSat Market: $22 Billion Over Next 10 Years
According to a Euroconsult report, Prospects for the Small Satellite Market, more than 3,600 SmallSats are expected to be launched over the next 10 years. The total market value of these satellites is anticipated to be $22 billion (manufacture and launch), a 76-percent increase over that of 2006-2015.
Aerial Hyperspectral Survey Assesses Alaskan Minerals
Although Alaska contains vast mineral deposits, its size and remoteness have prohibited study and extraction of these resources. To remedy this, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) began the Alaska Hyperspectral Project to assess the applicability of hyperspectral surveying to rapidly acquire data about the distributions of surficial materials, including different types of bedrock and ground cover.
SkySat-3 Delivers First Image
Within days of its launch aboard a Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle from the Indian Space Research Organization on June 22, 2016, the SkySat-3 satellite from Terra Bella (formerly Skybox Imaging) delivered its first images.
Copernicus Accelerator Seeking Applications
Until July 18, 2016, the European Commission is taking applications from individuals and teams from startups, SMEs, industrial companies, research institutes and universities for its Copernicus Accelerator, which hopes to foster development of commercial space applications and products.
Amazon Basin Drought Upping Fire Risk
In South America's Amazon basin, El Niño conditions in 2015 and early 2016 reduced rainfall during the wet season, leaving the region drier at the start of the 2016 dry season than any year since 2002.
High Traffic on Space Station Docking Bays
Expedition 47 Flight Engineer Tim Peake of the European Space Agency (ESA) took this photograph on April 6, 2016, as the International Space Station flew over Madagascar, showing three of the five spacecraft docked to the station.
ISRO Launches 20 Satellites from One Rocket
On June 22, 2016, the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) successfully launched 20 satellites from its PSLV C-34 rocket.
Humanitarian Project Aims to Provide Satellite Data
The German Aerospace Center (DLR) set up the EO4HumEn+ Project to better provide satellite data for humanitarian aid organizations worldwide.
Sentinel Satellites Deliver First Combined Image
The twin Sentinel-1A and 1B satellites, orbiting 180-degrees apart at an altitude of almost 700 kilometers, provided their first combined radar image, demonstrating a capability to reveal small deformations in Earth's surface.
