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Russian private satellite transmits first stable signal to Earth

Satellite TabletSat-Avrora,designed for Earth remote sensing, was created on a basis of Russian technologies at the cost of about $1 million dollars

ORSK, June 20. /ITAR-TASS/. All systems of the first Russian private satellite TabletSat-Avrora which was launched by rocket RS-20 operate well, the spacecraft has already transmitted the first stable signal to the Earth. Solar panels have unfolded successfully, Sputnix company, which had created the first Russian private satellite, told ITAR-TASS on Friday.

Satellite TabletSat-Avrora has a weight of 26.2 kilograms and a one-year minimal service life. The satellite is designed for Earth remote sensing and was created on a basis of Russian technologies at the cost of about $1 million dollars. Sputnix is a resident company of Moscow regional innovative center Skolkovo that received a special grant from the space cluster for development of the satellite. The satellite will serve for eight months.

The company plans to create a grouping of small spacecrafts and high definition filming spacecraft with a one-meter-per-pixel resolution by 2020, Sputnix Director General Andrei Potapov said. Developing a satellite will cost up to $5 million dollars.

The satellite is equipped with an optical camera for Earth recording with a 15-meter-per-pixel resolution and a 45-kilometer capture range. These parameters are needed for management in agriculture and forest industry, ecological and natural resource monitoring.