Lavochkin Research and Production Association developing second Electro-L meteosat will receive the sample of operational Earth monitoring complex this month. After that specialists will be able to get down to full scale satellite testing.

Currently the first Electro-L satellite launched in 2011 operates on the orbit. The second one will be launched from Baikonur spaceport in 2013. Unlike the first satellite the second one will be able to conduct not only parallel-serial mapping in different channels but mapping in all ten spectral ranges simultaneously.

At the present time the second Electro-L meteosat is already constructed, assembled and being tested in Lavochkin Association.
“Up to the present moment the second electro-L satellite is not equipped with standard units of special equipment such as multispectral scanner and autonomous navigational system. Engineering unit of modernized scanning complex for operational hydro meteorological Earth monitoring from geostationary orbit (developed by JSC “Russian Space Systems”) will be delivered in July. This will enable to start full scale testing”.

The second Electro-L meteosat will ensure multispectral mapping of the whole Earth in visible and infrared range (1 km and 4 km resolution respectively), standard frequency of the mapping will amount to 30 minutes. In case any acts of God the frequency (upon command from the Earth) will amount to 10-15 minutes.

Image credit: LaSpace.ru