In 2010 fourteen civil, commercial and military satellites were launched, including:
• 7 optical satellites with the resolution from <1 m to 5-10 m manufactured in China, India, USA, Russia, Algeria and Israel;
• 4 radar satellites manufactured in Germany, Italy, USA and China;
• 3 meteorological satellites, put into geo-stationary and low polar orbits, produced in China, Korea and USA.

In terms of intensity, the 2010 launches were the lowest for the past 5 years and corresponded to the levels of 2000-2006 (10-16 satellites per year). Recession was after the record three-year period (in 2007 - 19, 2008 - 21 and 2009 - 22 satellites).

By their mission the satellites launched in 2010 divided into the following:
• imagery intelligence - 7 (China - 3, USA - 2, Russia and Israel - 1 each);
• dual purpose - 2 (India, Italy);
• civil and commercial- 2 (Germany, Algeria);
• meteorological - 3 (USA, Korea, China);

A specific feature of the 2010 for the industry of Earth observation was the increase in orbital fleets of imagery intelligence satellites. Obviously, in the conditions of the world economic crisis and the political instability the leading space powers pay attention mostly to the development of situation control information system possibilities. China and the USA were the leaders in this direction in 2010.

In 2010 China became the leader by the number of Earth observation satellites launched (4 satellites), followed by the USA (3 satellites) and seven more countries launched 1 space satellite each. The list of operators (in descending order of satellites launched in 2010) looks as follows:
• China (4 satellites, 3 of them military and 1 meteo),
• USA (3 satellites, 2 of them military and 1 meteo),
• Israel, India, Germany, Italy, Korea, Algeria, Russia (1 satellite each).

In the past years the leaders in number of satellites launched were the USA (2009), Germany (2008) and China again (2007).

With due account for new satellites the largest national RS satellite systems by early 2011 (military, civil and commercial, without meteo-satellites) were the USA, China, Germany and India:
• USA - at least 21 satellites,
• China - at least 15 satellites;
• Germany - 12 satellites,
• India - 11 satellites.

Considerable influence on the development of the world RS data market can be exerted by two of the satellites launched in 2010: the radar TanDEM-X (Germany) and COSMO-4 (Italy).

At least 23 RS satellites with different resolution are planned to be launched in 2011. The biggest influence on the world market of the geodata will be by the launch of RESOURCESAT-2 (India) and PLEIADES-1 (France) satellites. PLEIADES-1 satellite may compete with the American suppliers of submeter resolution color products.

ScanEx Research and Development Center (ScanEx R&D Center) - the leading Russian company in the remote sensing market that offers a complete set of services ranging from acquisition to thematic processing of Earth observation images from space. Portfolio: designing and manufacturing of hardware/software complexes for spatial data reception and processing, development of software applications for satellite data reception, storage, processing and interpretation, cataloging of world leading remote sensing programs" data, generation of thematic end products, rendering web-mapping services.

Published: AllBusiness (http://www.allbusiness.com
]/defense-aerospace/defense-industry-military-surveillance/15460192-1.html)