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Thales Alenia Space delivers Jason-2 satellite to its Californian launch base

30 April 2008

Cannes, April 30, 2008 - The Jason-2 satellite, built by Thales Alenia Space, left its integration centre in Cannes for its launch site. The satellite is slated for a June 15 launch from the Vandenberg Air Force Base (California, USA) by a Delta II rocket.

The Jason-2 operational oceanographic mission involves a quadripartite collaboration between French space agency CNES, its American counterpart NASA, and the two meteorological organizations Eumetsat and NOAA, in charge of data analysis.

Designed to study the Earth's oceans and climate, Jason-2 will take over from its predecessor, Jason-1, which has already been in orbit for seven years and is still operational. Jason-2 will provide an opportunity for the launch of new services, including maritime forecasts for ships, and coupling of this data with weather forecasts.

Based on a Proteus platform, Jason-2 features the Poseidon-3 altimeter, also developed by Thales Alenia Space in Toulouse. Poseidon-3 will offer the same measurement accuracy as Poseidon-2, but will include an experimental mode capable of providing measurements near coastal zones, as well as for lakes and rivers. The Poseidon dual-frequency altimeter continues to be the key instrument in this spaceborne observation program.

The new satellite will be placed in the same orbit as Jason-1, at an altitude of 1,336 kilometres with an inclination of 66 degrees, to provide virtually blanket coverage of all ice-free ocean surfaces. Its weight at launch is 553 kilograms, with 550 W of power and pointing accuracy of 0.15° (half-cone).

For more than 20 years, Thales Alenia Space has been in the forefront of efforts to meet major environmental challenges, whether meteorological (MSG) or oceanographic. The company is also a worldwide leader in high-performance optical and radar payloads, for civil and military use.

About Thales Alenia Space
European leader in satellite systems and at the forefront of orbital infrastructures, Thales Alenia Space is a joint venture between Thales (67%) and Finmeccanica (33%). Together with Telespazio, Thales Alenia Space forms a Space Alliance between the two groups. The company is a worldwide reference in telecoms, radar and optical Earth observation, defense and security, navigation and science. With 7200 employees and 11 industrial sites, Thales Alenia Space is located in France, Italy, Spain and Belgium.