Russia’s remote sensing satellite sends first Earth imagery

Russia’s remote sensing satellite Canopus-B, launched a month ago, has taken its first photos of the earth’s surface, the Federal Space Agency Roscosmos said on Thursday. The imagery, which is currently being processed and analyzed, generally meets the set standards, the agency said.

The satellite is still operating in “trial mode,” but the quality of the imagery is “reassuring,” Valery Dyadyuchenko, deputy head of the Federal Service for Hydrometeorology and Environmental Monitoring (Rosgidromet), told RIA Novosti.

Launched on July 22 from the Baikonur Space Center in Kazakhstan, Canopus-B took its first pictures on August 28 and 29. The satellite is to provide current information to the Emergency Situations and Civil Defense Ministry, the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment, and Rosgidromet.

It weighs about 400 kilograms and carries optical equipment that can discern objects of over 2.1 meters in size. The satellite has a service life of five to seven years.