The US $100 million satellite is set for liftoff aboard a Soyuz-2.1b rocket in just a few minutes (1647 GMT) from the Baikonur launch base in Kazakhstan.
EgyptSat-A, owned by Egypt?s National Authority for Remote Sensing and Space Sciences and built by RSC Energia, a Moscow-based aerospace contractor, is set for liftoff aboard a Soyuz-2.1b rocket in a few minutes (1647 GMT) from the Baikonur launch base in Kazakhstan.
The USD 100 million satellite weighs more than a ton fully fueled and will replace the failed EgyptSat-A Earth-imaging satellite. The new satellite also features improved solar batteries and a high-speed radio link with ground stations.
The spacecraft?s electro-optical imaging system includes an Earth-viewing telescope and camera that can spot surface features as small as 3.3 feet (1 meter), with similar capabilities as EgyptSat 2. EgyptSat-A is the third Egyptian Earth observation satellite built in Russia, following the launch of EgyptSat 1 in 2007 and EgyptSat 2 in 2014.
Primary users of EgyptSat-A?s imagery are expected to include Egyptian military and security forces, intelligence analysts, emergency responders, environmental monitoring experts, and the agricultural sector.
