It will be possible to see a car from space and estimate its dimensions — such detailed Earth imaging is planned to be provided by the Russian company SPUTNIX. It intends to create satellites with a resolution of up to 0.5 meters per pixel. The first stage will be the Kinosputnik — its camera will shoot with a resolution of 0.8 meters per pixel.
What is Kinosputnik and what will space data be used for
The spacecraft is built on SPUTNIX's new Pallada platform for small satellites. According to the company's website, satellites on this platform weigh 80–200 kg, of which up to 100 kg can be payload. Data is transmitted to Earth in the X-band at a speed of 800 to 1500 Mbps.
SPUTNIX calls the development of a remote sensing constellation for government and commercial customers a priority. The data is also planned to be used for digital twins — virtual models of objects and territories. According to CEO Georgy Alyoshkin, the company already has pilot projects with AFK Sistema enterprises in the forestry and telecommunications industries. SPUTNIX also develops AI models for object recognition in images.
Where did SPUTNIX come from and what does the company do
The company was founded in 2011 based on the satellite technology department of ITC ScanEx. In 2012, the startup received a Skolkovo grant, and since 2013, it has been licensed by the Federal Space Agency for space activities.
The Zorky-2M satellite is the company's main active remote sensing series. The spacecraft is assembled in a 12-unit CubeSat format and weighs about 20 kg. The camera shoots in four bands — red, green, blue, and near-infrared. It also carries an automatic identification system (AIS) receiver for tracking vessels, a star sensor, and an X-band transmitter.
In addition to satellites, SPUTNIX produces service systems and platforms for microsatellites and CubeSats, ground stations, test benches, and educational equipment. For schools and universities, there is the OrbiCraft 3D satellite constructor. On the OrbiCraft-Pro 3U platform, Podolsk schoolchildren, with the help of the company, assembled the astronomical CubeSat UmKA-1 with an optical telescope. On June 27, 2023, it went into orbit among 16 spacecraft of the Space-π scientific and educational project.
Analogues and customers
MT-Lab company, with the support of the NTI Foundation, also assembled a flight model of the KOEN satellite with a resolution of 0.5 meters per pixel. Vadim Medvedev, the foundation's CEO, called it the first Russian civilian spacecraft with such a resolution.
Abroad, Planet's SkySat satellites provide images with a resolution of 50 cm, and its mass PlanetScope constellation — about 3 m. The Chinese Jilin-1 constellation, according to industry estimates, numbered about 117 spacecraft of various series by early 2025, with resolutions from 30 cm to 1.2 m.