ESA to present first Envisat results

Brussels, 19 March 2002

The first image produced by the European space agency (ESA) Envisat environmental monitoring satellite will be revealed on 28 March.

Since Envisat's successful launch from an Ariane 5 launcher on 1 March, deployment of the solar array, radar and antennae and activation of the 10 on-board instruments has been achieved.

Envisat, Europe's most ambitious Earth observation satellite, follows in the footsteps of ESA's ERS-1 and ERS-2 missions, launched in the 1990s. It represents a major contribution by ESA to the GMES (Global monitoring for environment and security) initiative, and will support research activities, government programmes and commercial applications in the areas of the environment and disaster monitoring.

The media are invited to attend the release of the first image from Envisat at ESA's establishment in Frascati, Italy. The event will include a talk by the agency's Director of Earth observation, José Achache, an update on the status and first results of the mission and contributions by key European scientists.

For further information, please contact:

Media Relations Office
European space agency
Tel: +33-1-53697155
E-mail: Brigitte.Kolmsee@esa.int

CORDIS RTD-NEWS/© European Communities, 2001