RABAT, Nov. 4 (Xinhua) -- Morocco is set to launch its first earth observation satellite on Wednesday, local media reported on Saturday.
Dubbed "Mohammed VI-A," the earth observation satellite was named after Morocco's King, Morocco's Medi1TV Channel said.
The Moroccan satellite, which will be launched from Guiana Space Center, was developed by a consortium comprising Thales Alenia Space as system prime contractor and Airbus as co-prime.
According to Arianespace group, the Mohammed VI-A satellite will be used in particular for mapping and land surveying activities, regional development, agricultural monitoring, the prevention and management of natural disasters, monitoring changes in the environment and desertification, as well as border and coastal surveillance.
Thales Alenia Space supplied the payload, including the optical instrument, the image transmission subsystem, and the ground segment for image processing and production.
Airbus was in charge of its integration, as well as supplying the platform and the ground segment for mission planning and satellite control.
