- The deal has been finalized within the framework of the SIASGE (Italian-Argentine Satellite System for Emergency Management) project, and confirms the fruitful collaboration between the Italian (ASI) and the Argentinian (CONAE) Space Agencies
- This important step between the two companies will allow to foster the worldwide exploitation of the products of the Argentine SAOCOM constellation. VENG, as official distributor, appointed by CONAE, adds the experience of eGEOS, as global leader in geoinformation services and applications
- Through the Italo-Argentine agreement, e-GEOS will be expanding its business portfolio with L-band SAR products, enabling greater vegetation penetration and higher coherence over time
Rome/Buenos Aires, February 17, 2021 – e-GEOS, a company formed by Telespazio (80%) and the Italian Space Agency – ASI (20%), has signed a five-year Cooperation, Marketing and Distribution Agreement with VENG, an Argentinean company formed (97%) by the National Commission for Space Activities – CONAE, for the world-wide distribution of data acquired outside Europe by the constellation of SAOCOM satellites (Argentinean Satellite of Observation with Microwaves).
The SAOCOM constellation, composed of two identical satellites (SAOCOM 1A and 1B) and the COSMO-SkyMed constellation are part of the SIASGE, a joint project between CONAE and ASI.
VENG, as official distributor, appointed by CONAE, of products and data from the SAOCOM Argentine satellites, as part of its global distribution efforts and by this agreement, appoints e-GEOS as worldwide distributor, on exclusive basis in some countries.
The Agreement enriches e-GEOS’ portfolio with L-band SAR data, which will complement the information generated by the COSMO-SkyMed (CSK) and COSMO-SkyMed Second Generation (CSG) X-band SAR constellation, funded by the Italian Space Agency and the Italian Ministry of Defence.. Users will have access to more SAR data, suitable for a broader range of applications and providing better coverage.
With this alliance, the capacity to export high added-value Argentine technology gets increased, thanks to the substantial expansion of the world trading capacity of the SAOCOM Mission products, maximizing its social economic impact at a global level, and achieving an international position for VENG.
Thanks to the L-band SAR unique technology, the SAOCOM satellites is able to monitor the Earth day and night, regardless of weather conditions. It can penetrate the vegetation cover and the soil, collecting information for soil moisture, risk maps and interferometry products.
The processed data can be used to prevent and mitigate environmental and human events. Some examples are: soil drifts, soil moisture maps, oil and gas mining monitoring, flood and drought monitoring, glacier drifts, urban drinkable water leakage detection, oil spill and ship monitoring, and infrastructure studies, among others.
The complementarity between X-band and L-band images, characterized by lower resolution but higher coherence over time, will guarantee additional high-quality data for several applications (e.g. natural resources identification, interferometry, and glaciology). The orbital configuration of the two missions will also make it possible to acquire the same target with X and L band at a distance of only 14 minutes, allowing unique analysis capabilities.
Moreover, the joint operability between the four COSMO-SkyMed and the first of four COSMO-SkyMed Second Generation X-band satellites and the two SAOCOM L-band satellites doubles the daily coverage capability, providing exceptional revisit frequencies for specific operational requirements.
“This agreement further enriches the data offering of e-GEOS and represents an opportunity to confirm our ability to build new services and applications by combining SAOCOM data with the data of the first and second generation of COSMO-SkyMed satellites. Furthermore, the result of this collaboration may be enhanced and disseminated through e‑GEOS’ subsidiaries worldwide. This deal, which enables new services to support the monitoring and sustainable management of the environment and urban areas, also confirms the long-lasting industrial cooperation between Italy and Argentina, where Leonardo has been operating for more than 25 years,” said Paolo Minciacchi, e-GEOS CEO and Director of the Geo Information Line of Business of Telespazio (a joint venture between Leonardo 67% and Thales 33%)