MINSK, 20 January (BelTA) – The second Belarusian satellite for the high-resolution remote sensing of the Earth (BKA-2) will be created with assistance of private investments, BelTA learned from Sergei Zolotoi, Director of the R&D enterprise Geoinformation Systems of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus (NASB), on 20 January.
Sergei Zolotoi remarked that the BKA-2 project will rely on public private partnership principles. “The ground infrastructure will be modernized using state funds while the satellite itself will be financed by private investors,” said the official. He added that the first satellite had been fully financed by the state budget.
According to Sergei Zolotoi, Roscosmos is interested in getting space data from the new satellite and is ready to pitch in by offering booster rocket services. In exchange the Belarusian side will provide Roscosmos with space data.
Sergei Zolotoi said he believes that only groups of satellites can handle tasks promptly in modern conditions. “Our satellite works together with the Russian satellite Canopus. We share up to 15% of the available resources on parity basis,” he said.
Speaking about prospects of creating a CIS constellation of remote Earth sensing satellites, Sergei Zolotoi noted that the idea is under consideration. “The problem is that such projects can be built using two principles. As the first option, every member of the group can have a satellite of its own and create a group together with other countries just like Belarus and Russia do right now. The creation of such a group within the BRICS framework is under consideration now. Russia has already stated that the Canopus satellite will become part of it. We also intend to join. As the second option, a joint satellite can be created. But we will face ownership problems in that case, in my opinion. Ownership comes to the forefront when we discuss Union State programs with the Russian Finance Ministry. The Russian Finance Ministry refuses to authorize programs that involve joint property,” said Sergei Zolotoi.
BelTA reported earlier that the first Belarusian satellite for the remote sensing of the Earth was launched from the Baikonur cosmodrome, Kazakhstan on 22 July 2012 as part of a cluster of five satellites. The BKA-2 satellite will be made using the manufacturing cooperation schemes that were utilized to make BKA-1. The Russian side will be represented by VNIIEM Corporation. The core equipment will be made by the Belarusian company Peleng. The BKA-2 satellite will allow making topographic maps with the 1-10,000 scale. The product can then be used for various land cadaster tasks. The second Belarusian satellite for the remote sensing of the Earth is scheduled for launch in late 2019.
