MOSCOW, December 29. /TASS/. Russia has launched the QMR-KWT-2 educational spacecraft for the UAE as part of the launch of a Soyuz-2.1b carrier rocket with 52 satellites from the Vostochny Cosmodrome, Sputnix Group sources told TASS.
"A batch of spacecraft was also launched for foreign customers to run technological, scientific, and educational experiments. Among them is the QMR-KWT-2 educational satellite, manufactured for a company from the United Arab Emirates, aimed at developing cooperation between Russia, the UAE, and Kuwait, the main goal of which is to provide amateur radio broadcasting and popularize space exploration in Arab countries," the company stated.
Sputnix representatives also reported that the launch of the carrier rocket from the Vostochny spaceport successfully expanded the SITRO-AIS constellation, which is a segment of the Russian satellite-based Automatic Identification System (AIS). The constellation was augmented with CubeSat 3U satellites for tracking seagoing vessels, including those on the Northern Sea Route. "SITRO-TD satellites were also launched into orbit to test satellite-based Internet of Things (IoT) technology," they added.
The Soyuz-2.1b rocket lifted off from launching site 1C of the Vostochny Cosmodrome at 4:18 p.m. Moscow time (1:18 PM GMT). It placed the Fregat upper stage with Aist-2T No. 1 and No. 2 satellites, as well as 50 accompanying satellites, into support orbit.
According to the Roscosmos state space agency, the Aist-2T Earth remote sensing spacecraft are designed to photograph the planet's surface and obtain stereoscopic images to create digital terrain models. The satellites will also be used to monitor emergencies, including fires, floods, and volcanic activity. The two Aist-2T series spacecraft, No. 1 and No. 2, will work together to improve data accuracy and obtain more complete and detailed information about the areas under study. The planned active service life of the satellites is at least five years.