Council of Chief Designers on Resurs-P at JSC SRC Progress

Resurs-P2 is scheduled for launch in December this year. Resurs-P2 is undergoing currently the final radio engineering tests at JSC SRC Progress. The developers of target and on-board equipment reported that their systems were prepared for in-flight tests.

The two-spacecraft system will enhance considerably the capabilities of the Earth remote sensing. The constellation is envisaged to be completed in the future: the third spacecraft must be delivered to cosmodrome in 2015.
Resurs-P1 launched on 15 June 2013 is designed for highly detailed, wide-angle detailed and hyperspectral optoelectronic observation of the Earth’s surface. The spacecraft is in a normal operation now. Since that time, about 28 million sq. km has been imaged by high-detailed resolution optoelectronics; 50 million sq. km – by high-resolution wide-field multispectral equipment, and 2 million sq. km – by hyperspectral equipment. The data from the spacecraft is in demand by customers, as A.N. Kirilin, the JSC SRC Progress Director General noted.

The customers of the Earth remote sensing data such as Rosreestr, Minprirody, Minselkhoz, EMERCOM, and others had shown a special interest in data from hyperspectral equipment. At present, the JSC SRC Progress specialists are improving the consumer quality of the hyperspectral data. However the representatives of the ministries and departments note that the Resurs-P1 data quality is most useful for geological mapping, exploration activity, mapping, demarcation of the Russian Federation borders, field monitoring, and etc.

K.V. Borisov, Head of ROSCOSMOS Automatic Complex and System Management underlined the need for more active collaboration with the remote sensing data customers since the rocket and space enterprises’ work is assessed by them ultimately.

As the experience gained in the Resurs-DK and Resurs-P1 operation has shown, the earth’s surface imagery by optoelectronic equipment may be hindered in case of cloudiness or adverse weather in the region of interest. A spacecraft equipped with radar might provide all-weather imagery. In this connection the customers stressed their interest in the Obzor-R radar satellite. The issues relevant to the spacecraft were also considered by the Council of Chief Designers.

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