Chinese space agency joins the International Charter 'Space and Major Disasters' (Forwarded)

ESA News
http://www.esa.int

24 May 2007

Chinese space agency joins the International Charter 'Space and Major
Disasters'

The China National Space Administration has become the newest member of the
International Charter 'Space and Major Disasters', a joint initiative that
works to provide emergency response satellite data free of charge to those
affected by disasters anywhere in the world.

China National Space Administration (CNSA) Administrator Prof. Dr Sun Laiyan
signed the Charter on 24 May at ESA headquarters in Paris, France, in the
presence of ESA Director General Jean-Jacques Dordain, CNES Chairman and
Chief Executive Officer Yannick d'Escatha and the Chinese Ambassador to
France Zhao Jinjun.

"The International Charter 'Space and Major Disasters' has proven to be very
useful to support organisations in charge of managing consequences for the
population facing natural disasters," Dordain said. " We are delighted to
welcome the newcomer CNSA of China to the Charter, bringing new and
performant capabilites for providing data in case of natural disasters."

Each member of the International Charter 'Space and Major Disasters' has
demonstrated its commitment to using space assets when it is most needed,
such as when disasters of natural and human origin strike the world's
communities or wreak havoc on the environment. To date, the Charter has been
activated more than 125 times.

With CNSA's addition, disaster management authorities will now not only have
access to Chinese satellite data archives but also to data from new CNSA
missions.

Last month, two American commercial satellite imagery firms -- DigitalGlobe
and GeoEye -- joined forces with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), a
Charter member, representing a unique collaboration between governments and
industry in the area of commercial space imaging that benefits people
worldwide.

GeoEye and DigitalGlobe own and operate Earth-imaging satellites that
acquire very high-resolution images. DigitalGlobe's QUICKBIRD and GeoEye's
IKONOS satellites, for example, capture panchromatic images with a
resolution of one metre or less.

While there is normally a cost associated with obtaining high-resolution
commercial satellite scenes, the two companies will donate some archived
imagery and provide newly tasked imagery to USGS and the Charter.

Most recently, the Charter was invoked on 8 May 2007 after the worst
flooding to hit Uruguay for half a century caused the evacuation of 12 000
people in the provinces of Durazno, Treinta y Tres and Mercedes. Charter
members provided satellite images, providing key information on the stricken
areas.

The European and French space agencies (ESA and CNES) initiated the
International Charter 'Space and Major Disasters' following the UNISPACE III
conference held in Vienna, Austria in July 1999. The Canadian Space Agency
(CSA) joined the Charter on 20 October 2000.

Other members currently include the Indian Space Research Organisation
(ISRO), the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the
Argentine Space Agency (CONAE), the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency
(JAXA), the British National Space Centre/Disaster Monitoring Constellation
(BNSC/DMC) and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).

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