Longueuil, Quebec, February 25, 2013 – The Honourable Christian Paradis, Minister of Industry and Minister responsible for the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), today celebrated the successful launch of the Canadian space telescope, the Near-Earth Object Surveillance Satellite (NEOSSat). NEOSSat launched at 7:31 (EST) from Sriharikota, India aboard a Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) rocket together with Department of National Defence's satellite Sapphire.
Known as Canada's "Sentinel in the Sky", NEOSSat is the world's first experimental microsatellite designed to detect and track space objects, debris and satellites. Funded and managed jointly by the CSA and Defence Research and Development Canada (DRDC), NEOSSat will perform multiple tasks, while carrying out two distinct missions serving the needs of the science and defence communities.
The suitcase-sized NEOSSat will orbit approximately 800 kilometres above the Earth, searching for near-Earth asteroids and space objects that are difficult to spot using ground-based telescopes. Because of its location, NEOSSat will not be limited by the day-night cycle and will operate 24/7.
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