Ultra-Clear Photos of Earth: The "Arktika-M" Satellite Helps Capture All the Beauty of Our Planet

Innovative equipment developed at the Lytkarino Optical Glass Plant makes it possible to take mesmerizing pictures

While the central part of Russia is struggling with the consequences of the disaster that has befallen it, Roscosmos publishes images of the cyclone as seen by astronauts in orbit. Landscapes previously available only to the inhabitants of the ISS can now be seen by ordinary people on Earth with the help of satellite imagery. Specialists from Shvabe (part of Rostec Group) spoke about the optics installed on the Arktika-M Earth monitoring satellites.

Monitoring a cyclone over the central part of Russia, shot by "Arktika-M"

It became possible to see such mesmerizing images from space thanks to the advanced development of the plant — precision scanning mirror units that continuously monitor the Earth's surface and can take stunningly clear shots. It is thanks to them that the Arktika-M satellite and other spacecraft can provide the most detailed images of the surface and the movement of cyclones across our planet.

The precision unit is a scanning mirror that, depending on its type, rotates or oscillates around an axis. This is what helps to carry out scanning without missing the slightest detail and significantly increase the field of view. The uniqueness of this invention lies in the fact that in order to avoid distortion of the earth's surface, the mirror is positioned relative to its axis with maximum accuracy. The equipment is being developed at the Shvabe enterprise in Lytkarino.

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