The need to monitor and protect Kazakhstan's territorial borders and resources is spurring the country's investment in satellite technology. Kazcosmos, the national space agency of Kazakhstan, has contracted Astrium/Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd. to produce two Earth-observation satellites, the first of which is due to launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan in 2013, says Kazcosmos Chairman Talgat Musabayev. He says the spacecraft will have 6.5-meter {21-ft.) resolution, making it a medium-resolution satellite. The second will be a high-resolution satellite with 1-meter resolution, he says, adding that it will be launched in 2014 from Arianespace's facility in Kourou, French Guiana.
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