Space

Morocco and Earth Observation Systems

Morocco contracted with Astrium Satellites and Thales Alenia Space of France to provide a high-resolution optical reconnaissance system. A name has not yet been published. The satellites are likely based on the upgraded versions of the French Pléiades-HR earth observation satellites, similar to the UAE's Falcon Eye satellites. According to French sources Morocco purchased two military observation satellites from the consortium Astrium (Airbus Space Systems) and Thales Alenia Space (TAS). The Thales share of the contract valued at around 300 million euros ($410 million).

During French President Hollande's official visit to Rabat in April 2013, two observation satellites and reconnaissance were purchased for Airbus and Thales alenia space, against an amount, including launch, estimated at 500 million euros. The launch, which was to take on board the Russian Soyuz was abandoned by Moroccan authorities, as a ripple effect of sanctions from the US government against Russia, following its incursion in Ukraine. The Moroccan system will be launched on two Vega rockets in 2017 and 2018 under a launch contract announced in early January 2014 by the Arianespace commercial launch consortium, which at the time declined to disclose the end customer.

In 2014 the government of Morocco launched an Industrial Acceleration Plan, aimed at boosting the country’s economy and creating a new, modernized industrial sector. The plan, which is being implemented over the period of 2014 to 2020, is expected to create half a million industrial jobs during that time. One major part of the acceleration plan is the further development of Morocco’s aerospace industry.

Pleiades is an optical observation system consisting of two identical satellites that will supply products to 50 cm resolution. Operated on a phased orbit, it will benefit from a daily revisit capacity anywhere in the world both for civil applications and military. This system is based on smaller satellites, more economical and more agile than their predecessors - the series of SPOT satellites - which ensured uninterrupted service since 1986 and whose platform is used for almost all European programs for Earth observation in low Earth orbit (including ERS, Envisat, MetOp and Helios). Pleiades integrates innovative technologies, such as gyroscopic actuators that will be carried for the first time in Europe, providing unprecedented performance. The two Pleiades satellites constitute the optical component of the Franco-Italian observation system Orfeo, for civilian and military (Italy providing radar-component COSMO-SkyMed). the program is developed under the responsibility of CNES (Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales). Astrium is prime contractor for the design, development, construction and delivery of two satellites.

A number of projects combining spaceborne remote sensing and geographic information systems (GIS) are in the process of development or implementation. These projects are designed to meet needs in the areas of natural resource stocktaking and management, environmental protection and town and country planning within the context of national and regional development programmes.

With regard to natural resources and the environment, several significant projects might be mentioned:

• The national AGRIMA project (co-financed by UNDP, the Ministry for Agriculture and CRTS) on the incorporation of satellite data in the country's agricultural statistics;
• The FORMA project (at the development stage and co-financed by the European Union, the Ministry for Agriculture and CRTS) on satellite surveillance of Moroccan forests;
• A study of the changes in land use and the estimation of the biomasses involved (financed by UNEP/GEF and managed by the Ministry for the Environment);
• The GEOSTAT project on vegetation mapping and the survey of common grazing land in Morocco, with the collaboration of CRTS, the Ministry for Agriculture and the French National Centre for Space Studies (CNES). CRTS and CNES are currently working with the Sahara and Sahel Observatory to consider the possibility of extending this study to the region.

With regard to the coastline and marine environment monitoring:

• Morocco is currently working on applications for lagoon management and beach mapping;
• The national GERMA project (co-financed by the European Union, the Ministry for Maritime Fisheries and the Merchant Navy and CRTS), for the development of a system based on satellite images for marine resource management, is in the implementation phase;
• Morocco has participated in the airborne GLOBESAR campaign initiated by Canada to prepare for the launching of that country's RADARSAT satellite and, in that connection, has embarked on coastline and soil erosion research.

In the area of town planning, CRTS, together with the Rabat Urban Agency and Belgian Cooperation, is setting up a project using satellite data to monitor cities in developing countries. The aim of this project is to take advantage of existing methodologies and adapt them to towns with high growth rates.