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\nIn the early hours of Monday morning, as Argentina’s CONAE space agency<\/a> launched the SAOCOM-1<\/a>A<\/a> satellite into space, photographer William T. Reid<\/a> captured this dramatic image of Earth\u2019s newest admirer catching a lift on the back of a SpaceX<\/a> Falcon 9<\/a> rocket.\n<\/p>\n \nAn Earth observation satellite, SAOCOM-1A will provide welcome new data on our planet, stimulating projects to monitor the planet\u2019s forests, map soil moisture and measure surface deformation and motion from space, in the context of natural and anthropogenic disasters.\n<\/p>\n \nWith teams of experts at its ESOC<\/a> operations centre in Darmstadt, Germany, ESA is proud to be supporting CONAE with this important new endeavor.\n<\/p>\n \nMoments after launch, ESA\u2019s flight dynamics specialists provided critical information to ground stations so they could track SAOCOM-1A, and soon after made their first ‘orbit determination’ \u2014 a vital step toward being able to communicate with the satellite. The flight dynamics team will continue calculating the satellite\u2019s orbit in the following weeks.\n<\/p>\n \nThroughout its life, SAOCOM-1A is also being supported by ESA\u2019s Space Debris Office, who are assessing the risk due to any space junk in the satellite’s vicinity and determining if, and how, a \u2018Collision Avoidance Manoeuvre\u2019 should be carried out.\n<\/p>\n \nIn the months to come, Estrack<\/a> \u2014 ESA\u2019s global network of ground-based antennas \u2014 will begin to provide tracking support to the satellite, through its ground station in Kourou, French Guiana.\n<\/p>\n \nFrom launch up until its end of mission, ESA will be on hand to support SAOCOM in space as well as working with its teams on ground. \n<\/p>\n \nThis ESA support has been facilitated thanks to the ESA Earthnet programme, which for more than 40 years has been the cornerstone of Europe\u2019s Earth Observation international cooperation.\n<\/p>\n \n#CollaboratinginSpace<\/a>\n<\/p>\n \nFor more excellent photography from William T. Reid, visit his website<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" \nIn the early hours of Monday morning, as Argentina’s CONAE space agency<\/a> launched the SAOCOM-1<\/a>A<\/a> satellite into space, photographer William T. Reid<\/a> captured this dramatic image of Earth’s newest admirer catching a lift on the back of a SpaceX<\/a> Falcon 9<\/a> rocket.\n<\/p>\n \nAn Earth observation satellite, SAOCOM-1A will provide welcome new data on our planet, stimulating projects to monitor the planet’s forests, map soil moisture and measure surface deformation and motion from space, in the context of natural and anthropogenic disasters.\n<\/p>\n \nWith teams of experts at its ESOC<\/a> operations centre in Darmstadt, Germany, ESA is proud to be supporting CONAE with this important new endeavor.\n<\/p>\n \nMoments after launch, ESA’s flight dynamics specialists provided critical information to ground stations so they could track SAOCOM-1A, and soon after made their first ‘orbit determination’ — a vital step toward being able to communicate with the satellite. The flight dynamics team will continue calculating the satellite’s orbit in the following weeks.\n<\/p>\n \nThroughout its life, SAOCOM-1A is also being supported by ESA’s Space Debris Office, who are assessing the risk due to any space junk in the satellite’s vicinity and determining if, and how, a ‘Collision Avoidance Manoeuvre’ should be carried out.\n<\/p>\n \nIn the months to come, Estrack<\/a> — ESA’s global network of ground-based antennas — will begin to provide tracking support to the satellite, through its ground station in Kourou, French Guiana.\n<\/p>\n \nFrom launch up until its end of mission, ESA will be on hand to support SAOCOM in space as well as working with its teams on ground. \n<\/p>\n \nThis ESA support has been facilitated thanks to the ESA Earthnet programme, which for more than 40 years has been the cornerstone of Europe’s Earth Observation international cooperation.\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n