Geoscan Group and Gonets Satellite System JSC (part of Roscosmos) have announced a joint project to test telecommunications technologies on small spacecraft. In the summer of 2025, two 3U CubeSats, Geoscan-4 and Geoscan-5, equipped with transceivers developed by Gonets Satellite System JSC, will be launched into orbit.
The main objective of the mission is to test packet data transmission technologies used in remote monitoring, IoT, and personal satellite communication systems. This is the first time that equipment from the existing Gonets system will be integrated into small spacecraft.
We are starting a unique experiment where the payload module of the already deployed Gonets system is installed on small spacecraft. Together with our colleagues from Geoscan, we will test the integration technologies of the CubeSat segment into the existing Gonets satellite network. This is, without exaggeration, an innovative approach to building an orbital constellation, the ultimate goal of which is to create a multi-platform space communication system. One of the priorities is to develop mechanisms for the effective use of the orbital communication resource of two satellite segments located in orbits with different altitudes.
The project was also commented on by the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Geoscan Group:
We are creating universal satellite platforms that can be used for testing and implementing a wide range of space services for our partners and customers. Cooperation with Gonets in this direction, combining competencies and technologies, will allow us to achieve a synergistic effect and, in the future, deploy a modern communication satellite constellation that will meet the needs of the state and business.
In parallel, Geoscan will launch two more CubeSats to test Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) and Automatic Identification System (AIS) receivers used in aviation and shipping.
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