The first images have been received from the Arktika-M hydrometeorological satellite No. 2
The first satellite of the highly elliptical hydrometeorological space system Arktika-M was launched into its target orbit in February 2021 and is fully operational.
16 January 2024Yesterday, during flight tests, the Arktika-M hydrometeorological satellite No. 2 captured and transmitted to Earth the first images of the Arctic region and its surrounding territories. This was reported by the press service of Roscosmos.
The satellite is in a working highly elliptical Molniya-type orbit with an inclination to the equator of 63.3 degrees, an apogee altitude of approximately 38,900 km and a perigee altitude of approximately 1,400 km. All of its service systems are operating as expected.
The spacecraft developed at the Lavochkin Research and Production Association (part of the Roscosmos State Corporation) was launched the spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome on 16 December 2023, using a Soyuz-2.1b launch vehicle with a Fregat upper stage.
The two Arktika-M spacecraft will alternate working orbital sections, providing continuous round-the-clock coverage of Russia's northern territory and the Arctic region, receiving heliogeophysical information, retransmitting information from ground-based meteorological data collection platforms and transmitting distress signals from ships and aircraft to rescue services for the international search and rescue system COSPAS-SARSAT.