[Satellite TODAY 11-06-09] RapidEye has been contracted by the European Space Agency (ESA) to provide satellite imagery for monitoring and change detection in areas prone to natural disasters, RapidEye announced Nov. 5.
    The contract is based on a list of pre-defined, high-risk areas, for which RapidEye will provide satellite imagery before and after an emergency event has occurred. The RapidEye system aims to accommodate frequent monitoring intervals and  provide up-to-date information on environmental changes  using its ability to re-visit interest areas in orbit.
    ESA will be using RapidEye’s satellite imagery mainly for its ‘Safer’ program, a security and emergency project of the Global Monitoring for Environment and Security (GMES) program in Europe.
    "To support this project, we offer a special emergency order service to ESA by providing satellite data within 12-24 hours following a request," said RapidEye spokesman Michael Prechtel, in a statement.
    Financial details of the contract were not disclosed.