MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 30th May, 2019) The first Russian satellite for weather forecasting and monitoring climate and environment in the Arctic region, Arktika-M, is expected to be sent to near-earth orbit in the second half of 2020, according to a document from the Institute of Applied Geophysics (part of The Federal Service for Hydrometeorology and Environmental Monitoring (Rosgidromet).
The document, obtained by Sputnik, also stipulates the launch of the second Arktika-M satellite in 2021. A total of five Arktika-M satellites are planned to be orbited under Russia's federal space program for 2016-2025.
The equipment installed on Arktika-M satellite will be similar to the geostationary meteorological satellites of the Elektro-L series. Arktika-M will be placed in a highly elliptical orbit, which will allow it to collect meteorological and hydrological information about the state of the Earth's polar regions that are poorly covered by Electro-L.
