Space system operators sign international charter for collaboration
From 1 November, the European Space Agency (ESA), the Centre national d'Etudes Spatiales (CNES, France) and the Canadian space agency (CSA) will provide emergency support in response to natural disasters around the world. Following an agreement, signed on 25 October, the space system operators have set up a 24 hour hotline with a confidential number available only to authorised users. As soon as a natural disaster occurs, countries around the world will be able to contact an operator at ESA's offices at ESRIN in Italy, who will immediately notify the duty engineers at ESA, CNES or the CSA. 'The engineer will then deploy various space facilities of the three agencies to assist the country where the disaster has struck,' says ESA. These will include: earth observation data from SPOT, Radarsat, ERS and soon Envisat, facilities for telemedicine and navigation (e.g. to track drifting buoys marking an oil slick), ground infrastructures and archive pictures. Once launched, the Artemis and Stentor communication satellites will also be available to relay data to the country concerned. Assistance will include supplying the satellite data, processing and interpreting. The agreement results from the recently agreed International Charter on space and major disasters. The agreement aims to promote cooperation between space system operators in the event of natural or technological disasters. 'The Charter is open for signature by satellite operators anywhere in the world,' says ESA. 'All partners undertake to cooperate on a voluntary basis, with no exchange of funds between them.'