European Space Agency Grants Contract to Icon Group

In a bid to protect the environment across all EU countries, the European Space Agency (ESA) have decided to contract a company for monitoring purposes. The data they collect will help determine what effects satellite technology is having on the region. Furthermore, the Icon Group shall come up with space technology for imaging purposes.

Technology will play a critical role in identifying and solving environmental issues. With swift action, lasting damage can be avoided, thus protecting the EU’s environment now and in the future. Therefore, it is crucial to understand what the European Space Agency contract is all about and how much the project will cost.

What is the Purpose of the ESA Contract and How Much Will It Cost?

The European Space Agency contract comes at a cost, which is logical, noting the extensive work ahead for the Icon Group. The company gets half a million Euros up front, however the project is divided into 5 series. All the series combined will incur a cost of €2 million.

What’s interesting about the project is that it shall act as a pioneer for similar missions worldwide. According to the CEO of Icon Group, the World Bank had expressed interest in replicating the same project across the globe. With many more satellite launches taking place, it’s crucial to keep an eye on what impact they have on the global environment.

Furthermore, Icon will have to collaborate with other companies and agencies to make this mission a success. One such agency is the Copernicus Programme by the EU that comes with an observation satellite for the whole world. This collaboration means monitoring can be done in-depth, using technology that detects changes in topography.

This technology from the agency, known as the DERAP (Danube Environmental Risk Assessment Platform), permits the discovery, adjustment, processing, and saving of crucial information regarding topographical changes. This means they can detect discharged waste by industries, run-off from farms, and the degradation of the ecosystem.

All in all, the European Space Agency contract’s mission is to take samples and see what changes are present in it to determine the effect on the environment. Such information will help the Icon Group build a database on the changes detected across the EU.