Image of the Week: Euro 2012 Finals Kiev
3 Jul 2012
Pléiades 1A, the first European very high resolution satellite has captured this image of the Olympic Stadium in Kiev where Spain beat Italy in the final of Euro 2012 football championship.
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Olympic stadium, Kiev, host for the Euro 2012 final.
Credit: Astrium.
This image was taken shortly before the first game of the tournament. Since then Pleiades and the other Earth observation satellites orbiting the planet have watched over the matches fought in Poland and the Ukraine. Fans all over the world have been able to watch the action on the ground thanks to the work of telecommunications satellites.
The highly detailed image illustrates the quality of data now available to scientists. Pléiades 1A generates 50-cm-resolution products which here clearly show the surrounding city – the street layouts, railways and other infrastructure. In the city centre and close to large parks, the stadium’s striking architecture stands out. When not watching the football, Pleiades is ideally suited for precision mapping and photo-interpretation.
Built and operated by Astrium, Pléiades 1A launched in December 2011 and will be joined by a second satellite to enhance the service, enabling daily revisits to any point on the globe.
