OREANDA-NEWS. June 5, 2012. Academician M.F. Reshetnev Information Satellite Systems finished building two Gonets-M satellites and a small spacecraft MiR. On May 28 they arrived at the Plesetsk cosmodrome to undergo pre-launch preparations.

The space-based system GONETS is being deployed in low-Earth orbit to provide personal communications in remote areas across Russia. As of today, one Gonets-M spacecraft already carries out its mission – transmits data for government structures. E-mail message delivery time ranges from 1-2 minutes to 6 hours. With the satellite constellation being further deployed in orbits, delivery time will be decreasing. The space system is to comprise 12 satellites to ensure global continuous signal availability. Besides communications services it will help tracking mobile objects, carry out environmental, industrial and scientific monitoring. Two Gonets-M spacecraft intended for this constellation were sent from ISS-Reshetnev facilities to the spaceport on May 28.

On their way to Plesetsk two Gonets-M satellites were shipped together with MiR – a small spacecraft that is a joint effort between ISS-Reshetnev team, students and teachers from Siberian State Aerospace University, and researchers from Krasnoyarsk. About 20 leading-edge instruments will fly aboard this craft to obtain flight-proven status in order to be accepted for integration into future advanced satellites. Apart from that, MiR is the first ISS-Reshetnev-made spacecraft that will provide satellite imagery – photographs of the Earth taken from space. It is expected that this step will facilitate further development of remote sensing technologies at the Reshetnev Company.