MOSCOW, April 29. /TASS/: Russia will create a space center for monitoring emergency situations in the country, and the state space corporation Roscosmos plans to allocate more than 7.5 bln rubles ($101.2 mln) to this aim, according to the government’s procurement website.
The space center will "ensure the overall monitoring of man-made and natural emergency situations in Russia and the space system on its basis," the document says. The construction works are due to be completed by November 15, 2025.
The facility will consist of a land-based control center and an orbital grouping of spacecraft Kanopus V 1 and 2, which will be launched from Vostochny spaceport in the Russian Far East.
The grouping of Kanopus satellites will be used for uninterrupted monitoring of man-made and natural emergency situations, detecting wildfires and major sources of pollution emissions, Deputy Director at Roscosmos Department for Navigational Space Systems (GLONASS) Valery Zaichko said. The satellites will have infrared equipment allowing the Emergency Situations Ministry to locate blazes at an early stage.