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Russian Satellite Mapping Mission Underway
By Anatoly Zak
Staff Writer
posted: 06:27 pm ET
01 October 1999
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resurs_991001Russia is currently conducting its first mapping mission using a Resurs satellite in almost two years. The satellite was launched on Tuesday from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome using a three-stage Soyuz-U booster. Launches from Plesetsk deliver spacecraft into high-inclination elliptical orbits, allowing the satellite's instruments to see most of the Earth's surface. The first launch of this type of spacecraft took place at Plesetsk on September 5, 1979; at the time, it was officially announced as Cosmos-1127. The last Resurs-F1M spacecraft flew in November 1997. Resurs is the fifth spacecraft launched this year from Plesetsk, compared to dozens of launches per year routinely conducted a decade ago from this site near the city of Arkhangelsk in northern Russia. Russia has cut back on launches in recent years because of the country's severe financial problems. Resurs satellites are derived from the Zenit family of military surveillance spacecraft. The civilian version of the satellite is equipped with instruments to monitor the environment and with optical cameras to produce high-resolution images of Earth. The current Resurs-F1M mission, which is being conducted on behalf of the Russian Institute of Cartography, is expected to last 25 days. When the mission is over, the satellite will deliver its exposed film to Earth in a retrievable capsule, which will land with the help of a parachute in Kazakstan or Southern Russia.
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