COSPAR ID 2005-032A Launch date 26 August 2005 | Operator NTs OMZ SATCAT no. 28822 | |
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Website eng.ntsomz.ru/ks_dzz/satellites/monitor_E Mission duration Planned: 5 yearsFinal: 2 years, 4 months, 25 days Similar Rokot, Resurs‑DK No1, Meteor‑M No1, USA‑165, Progress M‑53 | ||
Monitor-E is the first Russian satellite of a fleet of newly designed, small Earth observing satellites. It was launched 26 August 2005 at 18:34 UTC from Plesetsk Cosmodrome, and placed in a Sun-synchronous orbit of 524 by 544 km (326 by 338 mi).
Contents
Design
Monitor-E has a set of remote sensing devices. They are intended to make maps of the Earth's surface to be used for ecological monitoring and charting geological features. It was built by the Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center.
Specifications
Sensors
Onboard storage
Data communications
Orbit
Spacecraft
Communications problems
After launch, communications with Monitor-E was initially difficult to establish, but a few hours later it was successfully contacted and control was established. On 19 October 2005 new problems developed and no communication was possible since then. Later on communications were restored and photographs from both cameras were published on 30 November 2005.