Russia: Russia has launched a civil remote sensing satellite aboard a Soyuz rocket, lofting a spacecraft with a modernised high-resolution digital camera to collect imagery of earth for Russian government agencies and international customers. The Resurs P1 satellite blasted off at 1728 GMT (1:28 p.m. EDT) aboard a Soyuz rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.
The Resurs P1 satellite is the first in a new generation of civil observation satellites developed by Russia. It replaces an aging craft launched in June 2006, adding fresh capacity and higher-resolution imaging capabilities to the Resurs programme. The satellite will monitor natural resources – such as crops, forests and fishing zones – to ensure sustainable utilisation of the environment. Officials could also use Resurs P1 to track natural disasters and assist in the response to floods, storms and other emergencies.
Resurs P1”s users include the Russian government”s ministries responsible for agriculture, the environment, emergency situations, fisheries, meteorology and cartography.
Source: Space flight now
