ESA and EADS-CASA Sign SMOS Instrument Contract

ESA and EADS (European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company)-CASA from Spain signed a contract worth 62 million euros on 11 June 2004 for the construction of the primary instruments aboard ESA’s Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) spacecraft. As part of ESA’s Living Planet Program, SMOS will employ the Microwave Imaging Radiometer using Aperture Synthesis (MIRAS) instrument to measure soil moisture and sea-surface salinity. These data will aid researchers in understanding Earth's hydrological cycles and improving climate and weather forecasts. SMOS is scheduled to launch in early 2007.

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