Proba

[sarongsong]

"...Launched in October 2001...Proba (Project for On Board Autonomy) is an ESA micro-satellite...Orbiting 600 km above the Earth's surface... Its main instrument takes...14-km square images of the Earth's surface to a resolution of 18 metres, in a combination of up to 19 out of a total of 62 spectral bands... the same scene can be viewed from a variety of different angles because Proba is manoeuvrable enough to perform controlled rolls...Proba-2, is due to be deployed by ESA around 2005... "
http://tinyurl.com/2gbyf

[sarongsong]

"...Proba orbits at an altitude of 600 km (372 miles)..."
http://tinyurl.com/2fs88
http://www.universetoday.com/am/uploads/2004-0511greatwall-sm.jpg

[Russ]

Is there any indication of what it being autonomous from?

[sarongsong]

Proba Homepage (http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/Proba_web_site/index.html)

Giza (4-page Image Gallery):
http://www.esa.int/export/images/20040320_Pyramids_Egypt_S.jpg

[ToSeek]

Three years of Proba (http://www.physorg.com/news1679.html)


Today sees ESA's first ever microsatellite complete three years of successful operations. The size of a large television set, Proba was launched to demonstrate new technologies for future European spacecraft, but continues to provide fantastic images of Earth.
It is amazing what we have got out of Proba, our first micro-satellite," says Frederic Teston, ESA's Proba Project Manager. "The mission has successfully demonstrated a number of sophisticated technologies in addition to new approaches in spacecraft construction and operations.