[10-08-07 – Satellite Today]  Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd. will be launching two new Disaster Monitoring Constellation (DMC) satellites in the fourth quarter 2008, the company announced Oct. 8.

The satellites, Deimos-1, built for Deimos SL in Spain, and SSTL’s UK-DMC2, will be launched onboard a Dnepr rocket from the Kosmotras site in southern Ural.

Both satellites will carry a version of the DMC wide area imaging system, which provides 600 km (372.8 miles) wide views of the Earth in three spectral bands at a ground resolution of 22 meters (72 feet). The new spacecraft also have more than ten times the capacity for information provision.

These significant enhancements reflect SSTL’s evolutionary approach to development that provides state-of-the-art performance with minimal risk. The improved resolution and capacity enable the system to better meet European Global Monitoring for Environment and Security program needs, particularly in the areas of forestry and fire, the company said in a press release.