Oil spills on water can be detected not only from an airplane or a ship. They can also be seen from space. Russia's first CubeSat radar satellite, "AIST-ST", can help quickly find oil slicks and other water pollution. This was stated by Maxim Ivanushkin, head of the cyber-physical factory of small spacecraft at Samara University named after Korolev.

According to Ivanushkin, radar sensing is useful for environmental assessment of water bodies. The images allow recording the difference in wave patterns on clean and polluted water, which makes it possible to quickly identify oil slicks and other pollution.

But the satellite's tasks are not limited to this. Radar images can be useful for Arctic monitoring and shipping. The small satellite can observe ice movement from space, which is important for the safety and efficiency of icebreakers, for example, on the Northern Sea Route.

Another strong point of "AIST-ST" is that it can obtain images of the Earth even during prolonged rains and dense fog. Thanks to the radar, the satellite can conduct observations in any weather and at any time of day, as well as through vegetation. Therefore, such data can be in demand in agriculture, forestry, and civil mapping.

"AIST-ST" is called the smallest radar Earth remote sensing satellite in the world. It was created in Russia with the support of the Space-Pi scientific and educational project of the Foundation for Assistance to Innovations, as well as within the framework of the "Priority 2030" and "Advanced Engineering Schools" programs. According to Samara University, the device with a radar on board weighs about 30 kg.

It operates in the X-band from 8 to 12 GHz using centimeter radio waves, can see through dense clouds, and is intended, among other things, to involve schoolchildren and students in scientific, technical, and research activities in the field of space technologies. The launch of "AIST-ST" took place on December 28, 2025, as part of the launch campaign of the "Soyuz-2.1b" launch vehicle from the Vostochny Cosmodrome.