Stork-2D

Aist-2D is a small spacecraft designed to conduct scientific experiments, as well as to test and certify target equipment for remote sensing of the Earth (ERS), which provides equipment and their software for further use in advanced developments of the RCC "Progress" ^[2] .

External video files
	Start-up “Soyuz-2.1a” with the spacecraft “Lomonosov”, “Aist-2D”, “SamSat-218” .

According to the Director General of the RCC “Progress” Alexander Kirilin, the small spacecraft “Aist-2D” is a kind of “scientific harvester” that will solve both real-world shooting tasks and scientific tasks ^[3] . The project took part in the first launch campaign from the Vostochny Cosmodrome; it was launched and launched into orbit on April 28, 2016 using the Soyuz-2.1a launch vehicle simultaneously with two other satellites ^[4] .

On "Aist-2D" the scientific equipment "Contact" is installed, which is part of the complex of scientific equipment of the small spacecraft " SamSat-218 " ^[5] .

Scientific equipment of SSAU

Instruments created by scientists, students and graduate students of Samara State Aerospace University are installed on the Earth’s remote sensing spacecraft. With their help, specialists intend to study the effect of the space environment on the materials of construction and on-board equipment of the satellite, as well as to study the flows of micrometeorites and particles of space debris. In addition, orientation, control and communication technologies with the spacecraft will be developed.

• Mass spectrometric sensor DMS-01 - as part of scientific equipment, it will analyze its own external atmosphere of the spacecraft (gas environment), with the help of which it will be possible to study the influence of space environment factors on the quality of scientific, technological experiments and satellite aerodynamics.
• Particle Sensor “DC-01” - is a mini-laboratory, which is designed to study the processes of gradual destruction of samples of surface elements under the influence of the space environment. The “ДЧ-01” equipment will allow studying the processes of surface element degradation under the influence of high-speed particle fluxes, as well as taking into account the influence of other space factors on the studied samples: photon fluxes, ultraviolet radiation and the satellite’s own atmosphere. Scientists will also analyze the effect of electrons and protons on electronic components - memory chips, microcontrollers, antenna devices, check their radiation resistance and the effectiveness of the protection installed on them.
• The spacecraft’s magnetic motion control system - (kinetic moment reset system) will solve the problem of satellite stabilization in space.
• The micro-accelerator compensator KMU-1 is designed to provide control of the state of the apparatus and compensation of onboard rotational micro-accelerations in the low-frequency part of the spectrum. Working alternately with a standard magnetic motion control system, KMU-1 will provide satellite orientation along the Earth’s magnetic field vector.
• METEOR-M is designed to study micrometeorites and particles of space debris.
• Contact-MCA - is designed to test communications technology using low-altitude satellite systems Globalstar . The authors of the experiment plan to “call” on board using a mobile terminal and receive the necessary telemetric information about the flight.

Other equipment

Optoelectronic equipment (OEA) of the visible range for remote sensing of the Earth "Aurora" developed and manufactured by the Krasnogorsk plant named after S. A. Zverev ^[6] .

Spacecraft work

• On May 11, the first Aurora target equipment was turned on and the first photograph of the earth's surface was taken. The system for receiving and converting information from target equipment and a high-speed radio link for transmitting information to the Earth are functioning normally. Specialists of the RCC "Progress" carry out work on tuning optoelectronic equipment ^[7] .
• On May 24, the first satellite images were obtained ^[8] . According to the report, the satellite systems: motion control, temperature control, power supply, reception and conversion of information from target equipment, and a high-speed radio link for transmitting information to the Earth function normally. Work on tuning optoelectronic equipment is ongoing.
• As of the beginning of July 2016 ^[1] during flight tests of the Aurora optoelectronic equipment installed on the Aist-2D spacecraft, about 600 thousand km² of the Earth’s surface were captured. The confirmed resolution of the images in the panchromatic range was from 1.9 to 2.1 m, in the multispectral range - 4.4 m. Test switching of infrared equipment was carried out. Specialists of the branch of JSC "RCC" Progress "- NPP" OPTEX "analyze the results obtained for subsequent equipment setup. Since June 4, 2016, work has been carried out with the radar system developed by the Volga State University of Telecommunications and Informatics (PSUTI) and the setup of this equipment has been successful the inclusion of five types of scientific equipment developed by the Samara University, installed on board.
• In September 2016, the MCA Aist-2D equipment removed the Klyuchevskaya Sopka volcano eruption.
• At the beginning of October 2016, using the Aurora optoelectronic equipment, more than 3.5 million km² of the Earth’s surface was captured, of which 1.6 million km² of Russian territory ^[9] .