It can monitor natural disasters - project manager

The satellite will be used to track the effects of natural disasters, as well as to survey crops and forests and for planning purposes, France 2 television reported.

"We will be able to contribute to the planning of motorways or roads in difficult areas. We will be able to survey forest fires. We will be able to survey the effects of floods, landslides and earthquakes," said project manager Michel Siguier.

It will produce images which are up to five times clearer than those currently available, France 2 reported.

The satellite can also be used to map out the Earth's surface in relief to an accuracy of within 10 metres and will provide digital elevation models allowing customers to create 3D perspectives, for things such as flight simulation and the telecommunications industry.

Spot 5 is five times more powerful than some rivals

It is being developed by the space company Astrium for the National Space Studies Centre (CNES) in Toulouse, southwest France, in co-operation with Sweden and Belgium.

Spot 5 will be launched into space by the Ariane rocket from Kourou in French Guiana and will circle the Earth at a height of 830 km.

It is the fifth in a series of observation satellites, the first of which was launched in 1986, and will compete with rivals such as the Ikonos and Quickbird satellites.

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