Russia’s first radar satellite in the CubeSat format, "AIST-ST," was successfully launched into space on December 28, 2025, at 16:18 Moscow time as part of the launch campaign of the Soyuz-2.1b carrier rocket from the Vostochny Cosmodrome launch pad. The small spacecraft has been placed into the target orbit and is under control. Stable command and telemetry communication is being maintained with it.
The small spacecraft for radar monitoring, capable of "seeing" through the densest clouds and overcast using centimeter-band radio waves, was created by scientists and engineers of the Samara University together with specialists from the Special Technological Center (STC LLC) from St. Petersburg. "AIST-ST" is equipped with a synthetic aperture radar and is the first domestic radar satellite in the CubeSat format, as previously only larger spacecraft were equipped with radars in Russia.
Thanks to its radar equipment, "AIST-ST" can monitor the Earth's surface at any time of day and in any weather, regardless of lighting and meteorological conditions on Earth. With its help, for example, it will be possible to determine ice thickness from space during ice reconnaissance and when plotting routes for icebreakers in the Arctic and Antarctic, and to help solve other important tasks for the country.
The design and creation of the spacecraft were carried out within the framework of the federal program for strategic academic leadership "Priority-2030" and the federal project "Advanced Engineering Schools." University scientists and engineers participated in the development of the satellite's space platform and created a set of scientific equipment; STC developed the target radar equipment and propulsion system. In 2024, this project became a winner of the "Dezhurny po Planete" (On Duty for the Planet) program competition and received financial support from the Foundation for Assistance to Innovation within the educational project Space-Pi, which made it possible to attract a school audience to it.
"AIST-ST" is designed in the CubeSat format with a dimension of 16U (16 units, meaning 16 interconnected "cubes," each measuring 10x10x10 cm). The radar equipment operates in the X-band of radio frequencies. The satellite's expected active lifespan is at least one year.
Information from the spacecraft will be received by the ground-based control complex for small spacecraft deployed on the university's territory. Data from the small spacecraft will also be used when working with school teams as part of the Foundation for Assistance to Innovation's "Dezhurny po Planete" program.
Space "Dust" to Be Weighed on Quartz Balances
A scientific experiment to weigh space "dust" will also be conducted on board the small spacecraft. A special measurement module, developed by students and young scientists of Samara University, will measure the degree of contamination of the satellite's external surface casing during the flight due to the impact of the so-called self-induced external atmosphere, which forms in space around the spacecraft.
The self-induced external atmosphere is a small cloud that can consist of molecules of various liquids and gases, as well as microscopic solid particles, for example, flaking off from the external coating of the casing. The appearance of such a cloud is "to blame" on processes of micro-corrosion and degassing of casing materials, evaporation of possible condensate from the apparatus's external surface, gas release from unsealed compartments, the operation of onboard systems, and other reasons.
The self-induced external atmosphere gradually contaminates spacecraft. Primarily affected by such contamination is satellite optics, with image clarity deteriorating. Furthermore, if molecules of liquids and gases are present in the spacecraft's self-induced external atmosphere, they typically become ionized and begin to distort the amplitude and phase of radio signals, which can lead to a decrease in the accuracy of radio measurements and disruptions in receiving signals from Earth.
Similar experiments and studies to measure the degree of contamination have been conducted before, but on larger objects, for example, on large satellites and on the International Space Station. This experiment has not been conducted on cubesats before. The results of the experiment will help, in the long term, improve the quality of operation of optical and radar equipment on Earth remote sensing satellites.
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Special Technological Center (STC LLC, St. Petersburg) is one of the leaders in the development and production of special means and complexes for automated radio monitoring, information protection, unmanned aviation, and communication systems.
"Dezhurny po Planete" (On Duty for the Planet) is a program that combines technological competitions and projects for schoolchildren in the field of space. The program's goal is to increase the popularity of space research and development among broad circles of Russian youth and schoolchildren. The program's organizers are the Foundation for Assistance to Innovation, the Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology, the state corporation Roscosmos, and the NTI Circle Movement.
Space-Pi ("Space π") is an All-Russian scientific and educational project for the development and production of small spacecraft in the CubeSat format on domestic satellite platforms, with the aim of forming an orbital constellation of about 100 3U cubesats within a few years to create an infrastructure for involving schoolchildren in scientific and technical creativity in the field of space technologies.
Photo by Vostochny Cosmodrome and Olesya Orina
