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New images obtained from Aist-2D

24 may 2016

In the course of flight testing, the Aist-2D small satellite obtained new images of the Earth surface.

By 24 May, there had been over 130 satellite control sessions and over 20 target data reception sessions performed. The AVRORA optronic system imaged about 300 000 km2 of the Earth surface.

Aist-2D’s attitude control system, thermal control system, and power supply system are operating nominally. The system of data reception and conversion of the target hardware as well as the high-speed downlink radio line are also normally operating. Work is ongoing to set the optronic hardware.

The Aist-2D small satellite was launched on 28 April in the course of the first launch campaign from the Vostochny cosmodrome.

The new small satellite, Aist-2D, was developed under the joint project of the Progress Space-Rocket Centre and the Samara University on creation of high-tech manufacturing of small hyper-spectral remote sensing satellites for socioeconomic development of Russia and international collaboration, carried out under Russian Federation Governmental Regulation #218 of 09.04.2010.

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

Aist-2D weighs 531kg. Its active life is minimum three years.

It is equipped with wide-swath multispectral visible-light optronic equipment AVRORA. Aist-2D also has IR remote sensing hardware, which allows detecting seats of fire in blind conditions, during the hours of darkness and in cloudiness. Besides, Aist-2D houses radar hardware designed in Volga-Region State Telecommunications University (PGUTI). Using it, the university scientists plan to try space observation by p-band passive location of not only visible surfaces of the Earth but also of subsurface structures.

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

Progress controls the satellite as well as receives and processes its data.