PARIS, Jan. 21 -- Alcatel Space, a subsidiary of Alcatel, has been chosen to build two demonstration satellites by EADS Astrium, the prime contractor for the SPIRALE (Systeme Preparatoire Infra-Rouge pour l'Alerte) early-warning system, which will gather and analyze infrared images of terrestrial backgrounds to detect ballistic missiles during their powered phase, just after launch. Alcatel Space is the prime contractor for the space segment, comprising two 120-kg-class microsatellites in elliptical orbit. They will be launched in 2008 by an Ariane 5 rocket. A first in Europe, this...Read full articleRelated content from Photonics MediaArticlesBoeing to Demonstrate Entanglement Swapping: Quantum Briefing: 09/13/24Boeing has scheduled the 2026 launch of a satellite — dubbed Q4S — which is designed to demonstrate quantum entanglement swapping capabilities on orbit. 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