MOSCOW, March 31. /TASS/. The Soyuz-2.1b carrier vehicle is to take off from the Baikonur spaceport on Sunday afternoon to launch the Resurs-P Earth remote sensing satellite into orbit.

The start is scheduled for 12:37 Moscow time [09:37 a.m. UTC]. After about nine and a half minutes, the satellite will separate from the rocket's third stage and be launched into its target orbit.

Since 2013, three Resurs-P satellites have been launched into Earth orbit.

Resurs-P is a series of Russian satellites designed for remote sensing of the Earth, as well as regional and local monitoring of its surface. They are distinguished by ultra-high spatial resolution - less than a meter per pixel. The vehicles are also equipped with a rational polynomial camera (a tool for increasing accuracy and speeding up the data processing process) and have stereoscopic shooting capabilities for creating 3D models.

The data received by the Resurs-P satellite is used to study natural resources, monitor pollution and environmental degradation, and monitor water protection and protected areas. The information obtained can be used to develop Russia’s international cooperation in the field of environmental control and protection and to solve other pressing problems of Earth remote sensing.