Russian specialists may soon create the country's first orbital constellation of radar-equipped CubeSats. This ambitious initiative will follow the evaluation of the first satellite of its kind, the AIST-ST, Maxim Ivanushkin, Head of the Cyber-Physical Factory of Small Spacecraft at Samara University, told TASS.
"If the satellite confirms its calculated performance characteristics—and we have every reason to believe it will—this lays the groundwork for our next major step: deploying an orbital constellation of multiple radar-equipped small spacecraft," Ivanushkin explained. "Establishing such a constellation will drastically reduce the revisit time for imaging the same area from several days to just a few hours."
The AIST-ST spacecraft was launched on December 28, 2025, aboard a Soyuz-2.1b carrier rocket from the Vostochny Cosmodrome. While the calculated active lifespan of the satellite is at least one year, the university team anticipates it could remain operational for two to three years, limited only by its ballistic orbital life and the capabilities of its propulsion system.
"Specific decisions regarding the launch of subsequent spacecraft will be made based on the results of the flight tests and the performance of the payload, in close collaboration with our industrial partner, the Special Technological Center (STC) LLC," Ivanushkin concluded.
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The AIST-ST is the world’s smallest radar Earth remote sensing satellite. It was developed in Russia with the support of the Space-Pi scientific and educational project by the Innovation Promotion Foundation, as well as through the "Priority 2030" Strategic Academic Leadership Program and the "Advanced Engineering Schools" program.
Weighing in at approximately 30 kilograms, the spacecraft utilizes centimeter-wavelength radio waves in the X-band (8 to 12 GHz) to conduct all-weather monitoring, capable of capturing high-quality imagery through dense cloud cover. Beyond its technological achievements, the AIST-ST mission serves a vital educational purpose, engaging schoolchildren and university students in hands-on scientific, technical, and research activities in the field of space technologies.
Source: TASS
