Belarusian-Russian satellite in development, no launch date yet

MINSK, 25 October (BelTA) – Equipment is being developed, no launch date has been determined yet. Director General of the Informatics Institute of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus Sergei Kruglikov mentioned it during the 8th Belarusian Space Congress, BelTA has learned.

Sergei Kruglikov said: “We cooperate with Russia in various branches of the space industry. There are plans for a Belarusian cosmonaut to fly to the International Space Station soon. The candidate is being selected. The Belarusian company Peleng makes core equipment for unmanned and manned flights. Belarusians have developed a number of software solutions for data processing. As for a new Belarusian-Russian satellite, it is being designed and Peleng is developing the core equipment. I cannot tell you the exact launch date, it is constantly being shifted. We talked about 2029 not so long ago. We are talking about 2028 now but everyone expects [the satellite to be launched] in 2026-2027.”

In his words, the Informatics Institute participated in most of the Union State programs on space exploration – in four out of seven programs. Another program will begin next year. “Outer space for scientists means modern technologies, introduction of new methods, and development of new materials, which are used not only for space exploration but in everyday life. A number of ministries and government agencies use remote Earth sensing data. Smart support systems for making decisions, for finding various images are being actively introduced in space exploration. We are working very actively with the ionosphere,” the scientist noted.

The 8th Belarusian Space Congress is taking place at premises of the Informatics Institute and the A.V. Lykov Heat and Mass Transfer Institute of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus on 25-26 October. Participants of the congress are expected to hear out over 120 reports from scientists and specialists from Belarus, Russia, China, and Uzbekistan.

An exhibition of R&D products for space applications is taking place in the academy, too. The products were made as a result of R&D programs and projects in the area of space exploration. An exposition of popular science literature focusing on space exploration has been arranged as well.