Evaluation of Russian Arkon-2 Earth observation satellite

Remote sensing satellites are customarily operated in stable near-circular, sun-synchronous orbits that have an average height typically within the range 450–915 km. The operational height selected for an individual satellite depends on factors which include, among others, the degree of detail to be seen on the ground, the ground track pattern and the revisit time required. By comparison, military optical reconnaissance satellites usually operate at heights lower than those for remote sensing, and they may be manoeuvred during flight to alter their ground track pattern according to the coverage required of specific areas. The launch of the Russian Arkon-2 remote sensing satellite during 2002 into a 1505 × 1771 km non-sun-synchronous orbit was therefore, by convention, unusual. The combination of height and the 2 m resolution on the ground claimed for the camera system raised a number of questions regarding design of the imaging system and the extent of coverage that could be expected. A very limited amount of information on the Arkon system has been provided by the NPO Lavochkin Association, and this has enabled some assessment to be made of the imaging system, together with the extent and quality of coverage that could be expected from this unusual remote sensing satellite.