Thursday, 06 May 2010 00:00
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Russia’s new space monitoring system, “Arktika” will help to reveal secrets of the Arctic. Four satellites will study the hard-to-reach regions around the North Pole. The first satellite of this system will be launched in three years.
The development of such a system will guarantee the implementation of Russia’s key tasks in the Arctic, said the head of the Russian Space Agency, Anatoly Perminov.
“Satellites should first and foremost explore oil and gas deposits in the seas of the Arctic Ocean,” said Anatoly Perminov. “To guarantee safety, the development of these fields and the delivery of hydrocarbon to consumers should be accompanied by space monitoring. The next task is to escort ships sailing between the Far East, Kamchatka and the Barents Sea. Establishing control over all kinds of economic activity that will be shifted to the far north of Russia will be another task of the space monitoring system,” Anatoly Perminov said.
The “Arktika” space monitoring system paves the way for making more precise weather forecasts for a long time period not only in Russia but in the Northern Hemisphere as a whole. Moreover, it could be used for assessing emergency situations. For one, the existing space systems have failed to monitor the spread of volcanic ash from a volcano in Iceland in the past weeks.
The Arktika space system consists of two satellites with radar systems and another two with equipment for hydro-meteorological monitoring.
Although Russia itself can implement the project, it is ready to establish cooperation with others, Anatoly Perminov said.
“Several foreign space agencies have already expressed their desire to be involved in the development of this system. This will make it possible to attract investment from state-run companies and private enterprises across the world,” Anatoly Perminov said.
The head of Russia’s space agency said that the country is planning to launch two satellites to guarantee reliable communication and television links to the northern regions. The project has aroused great interest among leading experts.
Only Russia, the US and Canada can independently develop such a system. At present, the Canadian experts are discussing the idea, while the Russian space corporations are ready to start implementing the project.