Conference 7.286::space

470.0. "The TELLUS Satellite Program" by MTWAIN::KLAES (No atomic lobsters this week.) Thu Sep 29 1988 13:03

Newsgroups: sci.space
Subject: Tellus - satellites for peace
Posted: 27 Sep 88 16:02:43 GMT
Organization: Chalmers Univ. of Technology, Gothenburg, Sweden
  
    According to the weekly technical Swedish newspaper "Ny Teknik"
("New Technology") a study on a project called "Tellus" has now been
completed.  Tellus is intended to be a system of 'satellites for
peace' and allow countries, without the possibility of launching their
own spy satellites, and international organisations as the UN to
superintend and control, for example, that agreements about
disarmaments are followed. The idea of having a group of neutral
countries capable of controlling an agreement between the U.S. and the
Soviet Union about reduction of nuclear missiles, by using own
reconnaissance-satellites, has been considered several times. Sweden
has therefore decided to take this initiative and conduct a study of
such a reconnaissance-system. 
 
    Both the Swedish Government and Swedish industries have shown
interest in Tellus, and Sweden will now start discussions with other
countries and international organisations (as UN) to find out their
interest.  The result of these discussions will determine the future
of the whole project. 
 
    The study recommends a system of 3 satellites, two in orbit and
one spare on the ground.  The Tellus-satellites would orbit Earth in
sun-synchronous polar orbits 600 km above the surface.  The
camera-system would have a resolution better than 2 m. (SPOT, which
has the best resolution of all non-military satellites today, can't
see objects less than 10 m.) The whole programme is estimated to cost
~2.5 billion Swedish crowns (~400 million US$) and to become
operational 6 years after initiation. Once in operation Tellus will
require a staff of 100 persons for tracking, communication, image
processing and analysing. 
 
    I really hope that the project will be approved by other
countries. It would perhaps be able to play an important role in the
process of disarmament; and don't forget that pictures returned from
Tellus would be useful for many civilian applications too! 
 
    BTW, a few days ago I read that SPOT has discovered a new complex
of missile ramps in Saudi Arabia. 
 
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Mikael Lerner                               "This is the way the world ends,
Chalmers University of Technology            not with a bang, but a whimper."
Sweden                                                       T.S. Elliot

	Isn't 400 million approximate the cost of a B1 bomber or
	something?

	That is an interesting idea. 

>   	Isn't 400 million approximate the cost of a B1 bomber or
>	something?
    
    You're thinking of "or something".  The B2 is around 400 million, the
    B1 only costs 100-200 million.  Can you imagine a plane that costs half
    a billion dollars?  It had better bloody well do windows and make one
    heck of a martini.
    
John

Re:< Note 470.2 by SARAH::BUEHLER "Authorized to act like an idiot" >
>    You're thinking of "or something".  The B2 is around 400 million, the
>    B1 only costs 100-200 million.  

Actually the b1 program is now in at over $25 Billion for 100 planes.  
But this isn't the end as I think something like less than 10 are 
operational and it is estimated that something like $ 5 billion will 
have to be spent to make them operational.

Tony