The world's first CubeSat radar satellite for Earth monitoring, Aist-ST, has confirmed its characteristics. The spacecraft transmitted images of the planet's surface. They were received by employees of the Special Technological Center (OOO "STC"), as reported by the press service of Samara University.
The main feature of Aist-ST is its ability to obtain data regardless of weather and time of day. During flight design tests, the small spacecraft took pictures of Japan, the Panama and Suez Canals, as well as the Rosamond area in the American state of California.
The shooting was performed in the route mode of the radar equipment with a resolution of at least 5 meters/pixel.
Aist-ST was created by engineers from Samara University and the Special Technological Center. Unlike satellites with optical cameras, it is equipped with a synthetic aperture radar based on an active phased array antenna (AFAR). The device emits radio waves and records their reflection from the surface, forming the final image.
Aist-ST was launched on December 28, 2025. It was put into orbit by the Soyuz-2.1b launch vehicle, which launched from the Vostochny Cosmodrome in the Amur region.