THE SEVER SYSTEM FOR MAKING RADAR IMAGES FROM SPACE
Key points of the concept on the Sever space-based system
Equipping a spacecraft with a light-weight on-board synthetic aperture radar (SAR);
The radar the spacecraft equipped with is the only intended instrumentation;
Creating a small spacecraft on the base of the Neva unified small spacecraft bus;
Minimizing the volume of downlink data by processing the radar images and compressing the data onboard the spacecraft;
Utilization of existing data acquisition and processing units being reequipped with the minimum necessary;
Providing the consumers with as much access to the data as possible.
Making radar images from space is the only method allowing taking images of the Earth surface independently on weather conditions and image illumination from the Sun. The Russian orbital group has no spacecraft for making radar images now. Radar images made by a foreign spacecraft are very expensive so they are out of moderateness for many consumers. There is a pressing need for inexpensive radar images made from space in both Russian and world markets. The Sever (the Russian for North) project of the system for making RI from space proposed by KB Arsenal FSUE meets the need.
The Sever space-based system key missions
Monitoring the Arctic, Antarctic and other freezing sea ice;
Control over water area contamination with oil;
Agricultural control;
Forestry control (including illegal forest felling activities);
Flood and freshet control;
Navigation and fishery control (including illegal activities in the marine economic zone of Russia);
Soil humidity control;
Snow cover control;
Search for extractable resources.
The Sever space-based system competitive advantages
Specific cost of a radar image to be made by the Sever system considerably inferior to that made by any competitor;
Better access to the data for the customers;
Opportunity to utilize easier accessible and less expensive data acquisition units;
