Resurs-DK (46KS)

Resurs-DK 1 with PAMELA [TsSKB]

The Russian Resurs-DK 1 (46KS) satellite is mainly designed to image and transmit data on information for Earth natural resources study, data on ecology and emergency, sea surface status, ice situation, meteorological conditions in Earth polar regions, as well as to support digital data exchange between ground users. The satellite is continuously oriented towards the Earth in order to fulfill this program of Earth surface observation.

The spacecraft was built by TsSKB Progress in Samara. It is based on the military Yantar-4KS1M (Neman) imaging satellite.

The main sensor of the spacecraft is the Geoton-L1 optoelectronic push-broom imager. Panchromatic resolution at an altitude of 360 km is 0.9 m, at an altitude of 604 km it is 1.5 m. Multispectral resolution is between 1.5 and 2 m.

The additional Russian and Italian 470 kg PAMELA (Payload for AntiMatter Exploration and Light-nuclei Astrophysics) magnet spectrometer, designed to register the fluxes of charged particles and non-stationary phenomena in cosmic ray research, is installed on the side of the satellite. While folded aginst the telescope for launch it is rotated 180° after reaching orbit pointig upwards along the service module.

Also on board is the Russian 9 kg ARINA research hardware for detection of high-energetic electrons and protons, their identification, detection of high-energetic particles bursts – earthquake signs. It consists of a spectrometer and a particle detector for the observation of solar-magnetosphere variations of charged particle fluxes.

The satellite was initially placed in a 355 by 573 km orbit in 2006. On 10 September 2010, its orbit was circularised to 567 by 573 km, with an inclination of 69.9 degrees.