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Launch of Russia’s Aist-2T remote-sensing satellites scheduled for 2022

The satellites will transmit data to ground-based reception posts at a speed of 300 megabits per second and have an active service life of five years

© Sergei Savostyanov/TASS

SAMARA, January 16. /TASS/. The Progress Space Rocket Center plans to launch two Aist-2T Earth’s remote-sensing satellites at the end of 2022, Progress CEO Dmitry Baranov said on Thursday.

"The launch of the satellite, as far as I remember, is scheduled for late 2022," the chief executive stated. The Progress press office specified that two remote-sensing satellites were scheduled for launch.

The Progress Space Rocket Center is currently implementing the required technical project, he informed.

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"Now we are concluding agreements with associated enterprises, which supply equipment. I believe we have all the chances to successfully carry that project through," he commented.

It was earlier reported that Aist-2T satellites weighing 670 kg each would operate in a sun-synchronous orbit at an altitude of 400 km. The satellites will transmit data to ground-based reception posts at a speed of 300 megabits per second and have an active service life of five years.

The information earlier posted on the Russian government’s procurement website indicated that the federal space agency Roscosmos had placed an order for creating the Aist space-based remote-sensing system of stereoscopic imaging with an orbital grouping of two Aist-2T small space vehicles. The contract was worth 2.2 billion rubles ($35 million).

Russia will be creating a new Earth’s remote-sensing satellite system under its state program of space activity. The satellites are designed to obtain panchromatic and overlapping stereoscopic and color images of the Earth’s surface and transmit target data received on board these space vehicles to ground-based reception posts via a radio channel.

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