MINSK, 23 January (BelTA) – A new space exploration program of the Union State of Belarus and Russia will begin in 2018, BelTA learned from Sergei Korenyako, Head of the Joint Space and Information Technology Programs Section of the United Informatics Institute of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus (NASB), on 23 January.
According to the source, individual satellites for the remote sensing of the Earth are unable to perform some tasks. Groups of many satellites can but they are expensive. Groups of small-size satellites seem to be the feasible option. Several satellites like that can be inserted into orbit using one booster rocket. A group of satellites could provide data very fast. The new Union State program — codename Multi-SAT-SG — will take care of these tasks. The program's implementation is supposed to start in 2018, said Sergei Korenyako.
In his words, certain requirements for the equipment that will secure the high quality of space data have been worked out already. Part of the data will be processed in orbit and will then be beamed down to Earth's surface. The approach will reduce time costs and will improve the quality of data processing. “It is impossible to get such quality of data using one, two or even three satellites. The new space program of the Union State takes it into account,” noted the scientist.
