Ukraine and the Czech Republic have begun forming a joint group of optical reconnaissance satellites called “Constellation”. As the editor-in-chief of the Czech publication Armadni Novini reported in his blog on the portal “Military”, the project is being implemented within the framework of the Czech-Ukrainian defense cluster, the creation of which was agreed back in October 2022, writes IZ. The initiative involves cooperation in the field of space technologies and is aimed at providing Ukraine with high-quality satellite images for defense needs.
The first satellite to join the constellation was the TROLL satellite, developed by the Czech company TRL Space. It was launched into orbit in January this year. The main advantage of TROLL is its built-in hyperspectral camera with a lens diameter of 10 cm, which allows it to obtain images of the Earth's surface with a resolution of less than 5 meters per pixel.
The project also includes the creation of a new satellite, Drak, which is being developed specifically for the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The work on it is being carried out by companies belonging to the Czech space association Brno Space Cluster, in cooperation with Ukrainian engineers. Drak will be equipped with a camera with a resolution of less than 1 meter per pixel and will have a larger platform compared to TROLL. For security reasons, the exact technical characteristics are not disclosed, but it is known that the satellite will belong to the category of microsatellites weighing from 50 to 150 kg.
In parallel, Ukraine may gain access to images from the European satellite CSO-3, which was recently launched into orbit by the Ariane 6 rocket. Its development was funded by France, Germany and Belgium, and the images it transmits will be available to the armed forces of the investor countries. France has already offered its intelligence to Ukraine, so there is a possibility that CSO-3 will help the Ukrainian defense forces collect satellite information.
We remind you that we previously wrote that Ukraine returned 197 defenders from Russian captivity.