24.07.2012
Belarus spends $16-17m on satellite project
MINSK, 24 July (BelTA) - Some RUB600 million, or $16-17 million was allocated for the Belarusian space vehicle (BKA) project, Chairman of the Presidium of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus Anatoly Rusetsky told media on 24 July, BelTA learnt.
“Expenditures on the space vehicle are quite optimal, they are not so high. Under the President’s Decree, RUB600 million ($16-17 million) was allocated for the BKA project,” Anatoly Rusetsky noted. He expressed gratitude to the Russian partners for the BKA launch moderate costs. Anatoly Rusetsky said that if it were a commercial launch, the price for 1kg of the satellite would be about $10,000 totaling $5 million. “We paid a much lower price here,” he underscored.
Anatoly Rusetsky noted that the availability of the satellite will help Belarus quickly get satellite images and execute orders from other countries. But at this stage it is too early to say exactly which countries will use the images from the BKA. “These are commercial issues and they will be discussed,” he said.
Anatoly Rusetsky underscored that BKA can take images of almost the whole territory of Belarus in 40 days under certain weather conditions. Thanks to the possible +/-40° inclination of BKA’s trajectory, the space vehicle can take a picture of any place on the territory of Belarus. Therefore, the country gets an efficient means for addressing a great many of social and economic matters.
“Expenditures on the space vehicle are quite optimal, they are not so high. Under the President’s Decree, RUB600 million ($16-17 million) was allocated for the BKA project,” Anatoly Rusetsky noted. He expressed gratitude to the Russian partners for the BKA launch moderate costs. Anatoly Rusetsky said that if it were a commercial launch, the price for 1kg of the satellite would be about $10,000 totaling $5 million. “We paid a much lower price here,” he underscored.
Anatoly Rusetsky noted that the availability of the satellite will help Belarus quickly get satellite images and execute orders from other countries. But at this stage it is too early to say exactly which countries will use the images from the BKA. “These are commercial issues and they will be discussed,” he said.
Anatoly Rusetsky underscored that BKA can take images of almost the whole territory of Belarus in 40 days under certain weather conditions. Thanks to the possible +/-40° inclination of BKA’s trajectory, the space vehicle can take a picture of any place on the territory of Belarus. Therefore, the country gets an efficient means for addressing a great many of social and economic matters.