Space Initiatives of Byelorussia

05 February 2009, 8:35am

The Republic of Belarus brings space data application to a new level. Within the next 2 – 3 years interpretation and thematic processing of space data will become the basis for investigations aimed at identification of potential oil production locations in Belarus. Presently oil bearing capacity of the south part of Orshanskaya depression – Mogilev Basin is being investigated. The basic interpretation indicator is presence of fault zones and lineaments.

Data from Russian, American, Indian and Chinese satellites are used for investigation of oil bearing capacity of the territory of Byelorussia. With the Byelorussian spacecraft to be launched specialists hope to cut expenses on purchasing space imagery and expand the scope of investigations for exploration of natural resources with application of remote sensing data.

The launch of the new “BelKA-2” Byelorussian satellite for Earth remote sensing (Bel. «Беларускі касмічны аппарат» — Byelorussian Spacecraft) is planned in the forth quarter of 2009 to be carried on the Russian converted rocket “Rokot” from Plesetsk launch site (the first satellite “BelKA-1” was lost on 26.07.2006 due to “Dnepr-1” carrier vehicle crash).

Despite unavailability of own satellites the country built the ground space data receiving and processing complex with the low aperture stations produced by ScanEx RDC being part of it.

In January 2007 the new receiving complex “Alisa” was installed in the Republican Hydrometeorological Center (RHMC) of the Republic of Belarus, which enabled regular data reception from NOAA series meteorological satellites. In 2009 the RHMC plans to commission the second space data receiving station “Uniscan-24” designed by specialists of ScanEx RDC.

—Terra and Aqua space data with resolution better than that of NOAA meteorological satellites will allow more accurate assessment of agricultural crops condition and snow cover stored water. This will ensure improvement of forecasting quality in flood hazardous period, pointed out Anatoly Suschenya, Head of Telecom and Hydrometeorological Situation Processing Service.

The receiving complex UniScan is as successful in its operation in the Forest Management Republican Unitary Enterprise “Belgosles” (Minsk). The station was commissioned in April 2002 for the purpose of receiving remote sensing data from Meteor-3М (Russia) and Terra/Modis (USA) satellites for monitoring of the country’s forest reserves.

In 2008 “Belgosles” enterprise purchased the software developed by ScanEx RDC for improvement of remote sensing data processing and analysis.

Head of “Belgosles” Republican Unitary Enterprise Space Data Reception and Processing Group Mikhail Ilyuchik shared his thoughts:
— We focus on the potential to apply high (super) resolution space imagery materials for finding solutions to our industrial tasks and for the republic’s forest division in general. Therefore we bring up the issue with regard to feasibility of upgrading the existing station for obtaining high detail satellite imagery from both foreign spacecraft and the Byelorussian one (in the future). This would allow us receiving near real time objective information on our country’s forest condition and especially on areas affected by natural and climatic calamities.

Receiving stations of ScanEx RDC could become the basic technology for receiving “BelKA-2” satellite information as well as that required by the forest industry, geological exploration and cartography in Byelorussia.

ScanEx RD Centre Moscow

Geo: International