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6/8/2007
This morning at 04.34 a.m. Swedish time (7.34 p.m. local time), the Italian satellite COSMO-SkyMed was launched from Vandenberg, California. The satellite is the first of four Italian satellites planned to form a dual-use (military and civil) earth observation system.
SSC's satellite station at Esrange Space Center provides communication services for COSMO-SkyMed during the four-day-long Launch and Early Orbit Phase, LEOP. Also, the global ground station network PrioraNet, which SSC runs jointly with USN, provides LEOP support via USN's Fairbanks station in Alaska.
The LEOP will be followed by a few weeks' tests of onboard systems. Esrange satellite station will then serve as a relay station for satellite control and data reception on behalf of the Italian company Telespazio.
The COSMO-SkyMed system is a joint program of the Italian space agency ASI and the Italian Ministry of Defence. Thales Alenia Space Italia is the prime contractor and the satellites are launched by United Launch Alliance.
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