DETAIL

         

Aist-2D Placed on Target Orbit

28 april 2016

April 2, 2016 07:06 msc time Aist-2D small satellite was placed on the target orbit by Volga Upper Stage within the first launch campaign performed from Vostochny Cosmodrome.

Volga Upper Stage operated nominally. Aist-2D, Lomonosov small satellite and SamSat-218 nano-satellite were separated from Volga Upper Stage. Currently SRC Progress receives and processes telemetry data from Aist-2D small satellite.

Aist-2D target orbit parameters:

Inclination, °

97.272

Nodical period, min

94.243

Minimal altitude, km

481.1

Maximal altitude, km

500.1

Development of Aist-2D - the new small satellite – was a part of the joint project: Creation of hi-hech manufacturing of small hyper-spectral remote sensing satellites for socioeconomic development of Russia and international collaboration, carried out by SRC Progress and Samara State Aerospace University under Russian Federation Governmental Regulation #218 of 09.04.201.

Aist-2D small satellite is meant for a bundle of scientific experiments, refining and certification of remote sensing hardware, support hardware and corresponding software for their further use in advanced products of SRC Progress.

The small satellite weighs 531kg. Its orbital life is maximum three years.

The small satellite is equipped with Aurora wide-swath multispectral optronic equipment of visible range. Aurora optronic equipment is jointly developed by Krasnogorsky Manufacturing Plant named after S.A.Zverev and NPO OPTEKS – branch office of SRC Progress. Resolving capacity of this equipment allows acquiring panchromatic images with 1.48m resolution with 39.6km swath. These are rather good ratings for a comparatively small satellite.

The satellite is also equipped with IR remote sensing hardware which allows detecting seats of fire in blind conditions, during the hours of darkness and in cloudiness. As well Aist-2D houses radar hardware designed in Volga-Region State Telecommunications University. The university scientists suppose to use it for p-band passive location of the Earth visible surfaces and subsurface structures.

Aist-2D accommodates 6 types of scientific hardware including that for studying of outer space influence on various electronic components, investigation of satellite surface components’ samples degradation, recording of micrometeorites and debris particles in near-earth space and others.

Scientists and postgraduate students of Samara State Aerospace University considerably supported and contributed to Aist-2D project. Though, some of the experiments were jointly done with Samara State University. Extensive involvement of students, postgraduate students, young scientists to development, testing and operation of an actual satellite allows training of top-level experts ready to work for SRC Progress and space-rocket industry of Russia.

SRC Progress will operate the satellite and receive and process telemetry. Thus, for the first time Aist-2D small satellite allows SRC Progress to perform the complete cycle of works – from development to operation - in the frames of a single project.

SamSat-218 nano-satellite designed by SSAU students will be piggyback payload placed into orbit within the frames of the first launch campaign from Vostochny Cosmodrome. SamSat-218 is technology- and education-oriented/ First of all it is aimed at working-out of nano-satellite control algorithms.