20 April 2012
Belarus’ satellite to be launched in June
MINSK, 20 April (BelTA) – The Belarusian space satellite is to be launched in June, Deputy Director General of the United Institute of Informatics Problems of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus Mikhail Kovalev told reporters on 20 April, BelTA has learnt. “All the ground arrangements have been completed. The ground facilities are ready to receive, process and use satellite information,” he said. The Belarusian satellite will be inserted into orbit together with the Russian satellite Canopus-B via a cluster launch using the space launch facility Baikonur. The satellite will fully cover the country’s territory. It will be lighter and more maneuverable than the previous one. Weighing about 400kg, it will boast a resolution of about 2 meters. With the satellite in orbit, Belarus will be able to deploy an independent system for remote sensing of the Earth without having to buy space data collection and processing services from other countries. In the future Belarus and Russia plan to create a group of satellites to use for the benefit of the Union State. With more satellites in orbit more services will be available to customers in the two countries.БЕЛТА