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Launched a satellite for compiling three-dimensional maps of the Earth.. / June 22, 2010 /

From the Baikonur cosmodrome launched a German scientific satellite TanDEM-X, which will make a three-dimensional map of the Earth, writes BBC News.

At the orbit of the apparatus led the Russian-Ukrainian rocket «Dnepr». The satellite separated from its last stage on June 21, at 6:29, Moscow time, 15 minutes after launch. The device was placed in a sun-synchronous orbit about 514 miles and inclination of approximately 97 degrees, said Interfax.

Devices, applying for sun-synchronous orbits pass over any point on Earth at about the same local solar time. Thanks to this particular movement in each observation point to keep the same lighting conditions for all satellite passes — these conditions are well suited for observing the planet.

TanDEM-X, whose mission will last three years, will be sent to Earth by microwaves, and signal delay time to determine the height of the study area (from low-lying parts of the signal will go longer than that from upland). The new satellite will operate in a pair of running in 2007 by the Office of the twin TerraSAR-X. Their orbits will lie very close to each other — the minimum distance of 200 meters.

Collaborate satellites allow scientists to create three-dimensional maps of the Earth with a resolution of more than two meters. Resolution maps obtained with a single TerraSAR-X, does not exceed 10 meters.

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