Resurs-P2 bolsters Russia's remote-sensing constellation

    On Dec. 26, 2014, Russia launched a second copy of its flagship remote-sensing satellite, designated Resurs-P No. 2 or Resurs-P2 for short. Developed by RKTs Progress in the city of Samara, the Resurs-P (47KS) series was designed to provide high-resolution imagery of the Earth surface revealing details as small as one meter in size. Resurs-P (where "P" stood for "prospective") would complement and ultimately replace in this role the Resurs-DK spacecraft launched in 2006. Both Resurs-DK and Resurs-P satellites are believed to be civilian cousins of a classified optical reconnaissance spacecraft also developed at RKTs Progress.

Previous chapter: Resurs-P No. 1 mission

Above: General architecture of the Resurs-P No. 2 satellite.

Above: Optical system of Resurs-P No. 2 satellite in orbital configuration.

Above: Resurs-P No. 2 satellite during testing.

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History of the Resurs-P No. 2 spacecraft

In parallel with the development of the Resurs-P No. 1 remote-sensing satellite launched in 2013, TsSKB Progress (later renamed RKTs Progress) was also working on the second Resurs-P satellite. It was to be a nearly identical copy of its predecessor. The main payload onboard Resurs-P2 included the Geoton-L optical-electronic telescope and a pair of wide-angle multi-spectral cameras collectively known as KShMSA. The Hyper-spectral Photographic Hardware, GSA, would also be re-flown from the original Resurs-P1 mission.

The Russian space agency, Roskosmos, stressed that a wide range of imaging sensors onboard Resurs-P2 represented a unique feature for a remote-sensing satellite. Moreover, a joint operation of two or three Resurs-P satellites could provide unmatched capabilities in the imaging of the Earth's surface, Roskosmos said.

As its predecessor, Resurs-P2 was capable of very advanced imaging operations. It could be commanded to photograph individual objects on the Earth's surface as well as to scan swathes of land extending up to 2,000 kilometers. The spacecraft could capture areas 200 by 300 kilometers, stereo images could be produced during a single orbital path and the scanning could be conducted along a complex zigzag routes on the Earth's surface below the satellite's path, Roskosmos said. According to mission control, the satellite could swing its telescope away from a perpendicular direction toward the Earth surface as fast as 45 degrees in 45 seconds. While looking directly below its flight path, the satellite could capture a swath 38 kilometers wide. A total of 950 kilometers would be captured in a single path, according to Mission Control in Korolev, which was responsible for controlling the spacecraft.

A location of objects imaged by the satellite could be pinpointed with an accuracy between 10 and 15 meters without use of any calibration points on the ground.

While using a single ground station for downlinking its data, Resurs-P2 could photograph 80,000 square kilometers per day in high-resolution mode. The satellite could revisit the captured area for a second look no later than in three days. The imaging data acquired by Resurs-P can be downlinked to the ground at a rate from 150 to 300 megabits per second via a dedicated X-band radio channel.

The 6,392-kilogram satellite was guaranteed to function for at least five years in a 475-kilometer orbit with an inclination 97.28 degrees toward the Equator.