* Astronomy

Five years in orbit for first DMC satellite AlSAT-1
This week, Algeria celebrates the 5th anniversary of its first satellite, AlSAT-1 which marked the beginning of the countrys national space programme. Five years on, the African nation not only benefits from improved cartography, pollution monitoring and petrology information, but also makes a significant contribution to international disaster response.
AlSAT-1 was launched on 28th November 2002 following the creation of the Algerian Space Agency (ASAL) by presidential decree on the 16th January 2002. British company SSTL built AlSAT-1 and provided training for engineers from the Centre National des Techniques Spatiales (CNTS) as part of a development and training programme that helped the country take its first steps into space.
AlSAT-1 was the first satellite in the 5-satellite Disaster Monitoring Constellation (DMC). Under the coordination of SSTLs subsidiary, DMCii Ltd, DMC satellite owners share image data and the infrastructure required to operate their satellite.

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