The new Russian hydrometeorological satellite Arkтика-М, launched into a highly elliptical orbit over the weekend, has received enhanced equipment protection against space impact and radiation.
The onboard control complex from Rosatom's subsidiary, the Moscow Design Bureau Mars, therefore received an electronic component base and circuit solutions to increase the radiation resistance of the devices.
Currently, only Russia has meteorological devices that operate in a highly elliptical orbit with an inclination of about 63 degrees. The shooting area of spacecraft of this series is in operation at an altitude of up to 40 thousand km from Earth, higher than the GLONASS navigation systems. This is a unique perspective of the Arctic region, and it cannot be obtained from any other satellite.
Mars is already working on onboard control systems for the modernized Arktika-M (Nos. 3, 4, 5, 6), and for the fifth Elektro-L geostationary spacecraft, which will be launched in 2025.
A network of Elektro-L and Arktika-M satellites will help to continuously obtain operational data for weather forecasts on a planetary scale.