An engineering test model of an optical laser (lidar) meter, developed at the Research Institute of Precision Instruments (RIPI, part of Roscosmos State Corporation) has been demonstrated to Yuri Borisov, Director General of Roscosmos State Corporation.

This system is a scanning lidar, designed for conducting rendezvous maneuvers and docking with other orbiting vehicles, which don’t have docking ports. The instrument can generate 3D images of an object in order to conduct its inspection or evaluate the feasibility of conducting rendezvous maneuvers and docking. According to the developers, in the future, the scanner will also be able to be used for arranging the entire spectrum of maintenance servicing for orbiting spacecraft and resolving debris-related matters.

In addition, the Institute’s management reported to Yuri Borisov on the progress, made in developing KASATKA-R, the space-borne synthesized aperture radar (SAR), which is being prepared for transfer to the Progress Rocket Space Centre (TsSKB-Pro-gress, Samara), the manufacturer of the OBZOR-R observation satellite, where the KASATKA-R is to be mounted.

The KASATKA-R radar is equipped with an active phased array antenna (APAA), which makes it possible to enhance significantly our capacity for observing the Earth’s surface. For instance, the OBZOR-R spacecraft will be able to observe the Earth's surface with a resolution of up to 0.5 m and under any weather conditions.

Following the inspection of the Institute’s promising products and systems, carried out during the meeting, Yuri Borisov was also reported on the current state of affairs at our enterprise.

Roscosmos Press Service
https://www.roscosmos.ru/38524/