KazEOSat-1 satellite: Kazakhstan's first Earth observation satellite

EADS Airbus Defence and Space Astrium, the world’s second largest space company, is preparing for the launch of KazEOSat-1 (formerly known as DZZ-HR), which is due to lift off on 28 April 2014 into low Sun-synchronous orbit (about 700 km from Earth) on-board a Vega launcher from the European spaceport in Kourou (French Guiana).

Kazakhstan's first Earth observation satellite is to be fired into orbit next week from the European spaceport in Kourou in French Guiana.

The 830-kilogramme (1,829-pound) orbiter will provide Kazakhstan with data for mapmaking and security, monitor changes in nature and agriculture, and provide support for rescue operations in case of natural disaster, it said in a statement.

The satellite, dubbed KazEOSat-1, will take off on a lightweight Vega launcher overnight on Monday, Kourou time.

It will orbit the Earth at about 700 kilometres (435 miles) and remain in service for seven years.


KazEOSat-1 is a 900kg high-resolution satellite. From a low sun-synchronous orbit it will provide the Republic of Kazakhstan with a complete range of civil applications, including monitoring of natural and agricultural resources, provision of mapping data, and support for rescue operations in the event of a natural disaster.

ESA Earth from Space Image: Salt Marsh, Kazakhstan

This satellite image was acquired over the edge of a salt marsh near the northeast Caspian Sea in southwestern Kazakhstan.

The Caspian Sea (not pictured) is the largest inland body of water by surface area.

With an average depth of about 5 m, the northern part of the Caspian is very shallow, while the central and southern parts of the sea are much deeper.

The salinity of the waters also change from north to south, being more saline in the northern, shallow waters and and less in the south.

The salt marsh in the upper section of this image was once a gulf of the Caspian Sea, but fluctuating sea levels over the last decades cause it to be cut off occasionally from the main body of water and even dry up.

In this image, it appears that the water has evaporated, leaving behind a white salt crust.

Rock formations dominate the central part of the image, while a plateau stretches south and east (not pictured).

The visible shapes in combination with the dark colour of the rocks may indicate that they are volcanic, with water erosion evident in the finger-like runoff patterns.

The grey rim between the land and salt pan comes from the sedimentary runoff from the land mixing with the saltwater. When the marsh is dry, a greyish colour is left behind.

The arid climate in this region makes it easy to acquire optical imagery from satellites, without the obstruction of visibility by clouds.

This image was acquired on 6 November 2012 by the Korea Aerospace Research Institute’s Kompsat-2 satellite and is featured on the Earth from Space video programme.

Russian Rocket launch fails at Kapustin Yar - Weather Satellite payload

A weather rocket launched from Russia's Kapustin Yar launching field crashed in Kazakhstan's western region, according to government reports.

The incident happened early in the morning on March 27, between 1 and 2 a.m., a government source said.

The rocket fell less than one kilometer away from a local village named Shungai with no casualties reported.

According to reports from Kapustin Yar, it was an accident caused by a propulsion system failure, which kept the rocket from reaching its designated destination.

Meanwhile, Kazakhstan's Defense Ministry said it will suspend all Russian missile experiments on leased testing fields in Kazakhstan until the cause of the crash is identified, according to the ministry's website.

"The Ministry of Defense of Kazakhstan has suspended Russia's testing on the leased military grounds in Kazakhstan until the cause of the accident is found," the press office of the Defense Ministry said on Friday.

Kazakhstan's Environmental Regulation and Control Department said soil and air samples will be collected from the crash site to assess the environmental impact.

Kapustin Yar is known to be a launch site for smaller space vehicles. It is also one of Russia's first missile test ranges. During Soviet time a number of intermediate and short range missile projects were tested there.

Russian-US ISS crew blast off from Kazakhstan - Arrival Delayed

A crew of two Russian cosmonauts and an American astronaut blasted off Tuesday from Kazakhstan on a Russian Soyuz rocket for the International Space Station, with US-Russia space cooperation continuing amicably, despite the diplomatic standoff over Ukraine.

Russians Alexander Skvortsov and Oleg Artemyev along with Steve Swanson of NASA took off in a spectacular night-time launch at the start of a fast-track six-hour journey to the orbiting laboratory, where they will spend half a year.

All the stages of the launch went without a hitch and the Soyuz capsule successfully went into the correct orbit.

Docking with the ISS was expected at 03:04 GMT Wednesday but this has been delayed until 07:58 Thursday.

After the retirement of the US shuttle, NASA is for now wholly reliant on Russia for delivering astronauts to the space station on its tried-and-trusted Soyuz launch and capsule system.

Space officials have made clear that space cooperation, one of the few areas of genuine mutual work between Russia and the United States, will continue unaffected by the mounting diplomatic strains that have seen the US impose sanctions on Russian officials over Moscow's seizure of Crimea.

A yellow toy duck nicknamed "quack" given to Swanson by his daughter hung in the cockpit and started floating a few minutes into launch as the crew started to experience weightlessness.

-'We'll live together peacefully'-

Arrival Delayed
The next trio of crew members destined for the International Space Station is now looking forward to a Thursday arrival at the orbiting laboratory after their Soyuz spacecraft was unable to complete its third thruster burn to fine-tune its approach. 

Flight controllers in the Mission Control Center outside Moscow are now reverting to a backup 34-orbit rendezvous, which would result in an arrival and docking at 7:58 p.m. EDT Thursday, March 27.

Soyuz Spacecraft Returns Expedition 38 Space Station Crew to Earth

The recovery team attends to NASA astronaut Mike Hopkins and cosmonauts Oleg Kotov and Sergey Ryazanskiy after the trio's Soyuz capsule touched down in frigid Kazakhstan on March 10, 2014.

Credit: NASA TV

An American astronaut and two Russian cosmonauts made a snowy but safe landing on Earth late Monday (March 10), bringing their 5 1/2-month mission aboard the International Space Station to a successful close.

A Soyuz spacecraft carrying NASA astronaut Mike Hopkins and Russian cosmonauts Oleg Kotov and Sergey Ryazanskiy touched down on the snowy steppes of Kazakhstan at 11:24 p.m. EDT Monday (0324 March 11 GMT; 9:24 a.m. March 11 local time), about 3 1/2 hours after leaving the space station.

Temperatures hovered around 0 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 18 degrees Celsius) at the landing site, and strong winds whipped snow through the air.

"The crew will get a bit of a frigid welcome," a NASA commentator said as the Soyuz neared terra firma.

Because of the extreme conditions, recovery teams did not set up the standard medical tents for each crewmember.

Instead, Hopkins, Kotov and Ryazanskiy were to be taken immediately to a helicopter after being removed from the capsule.

The trio spent 166 days in orbit, and their mission was nearly extended by 24 hours.

Space station officials considered delaying the Soyuz' departure by a day because of bad weather on the ground in Kazakhstan but ultimately decided to go ahead with the original landing plan.

Hopkins, Kotov and Ryazanskiy launched toward the station on Sept. 26, initially joining the crew of the orbiting lab's Expedition 37.

In November, Expedition 37 transitioned to Expedition 38, which Kotov commanded.

SSTL's First Mission: New X50 platform will be for Kazakh customer

SSTL-X50 Earthmapper variant

Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd (SSTL) and Ghalam LLP (Kazakhstan) have agreed that SSTL's new X50 platform design will deliver KazSTSAT, a small satellite mission announced under a contract signed last year.

KazSTSAT will be based on the SSTL-X50 Earthmapper variant and will carry an SSTL SLIM-6 imager, providing 22m resolution multispectral imagery with a swath width of more than 600km for global wide-area imaging.

The new SSTL-X50 Earthmapper variant combines a large volume of data storage, enhanced power generation capacity and high downlink availability to continuously image the sunlit land mass making it particularly suited to applications requiring a high temporal revisit rate, such as agricultural and flood monitoring, water quality assessment, forest monitoring and disaster management.

Luis Gomes

Luis Gomes, SSTL's Director of Earth Observation and Science, commented: "It is very gratifying that less than 3 months after the public introduction of the X50 Earthmapper, one of our longstanding customers has decided to base its new satellite on this platform.

It demonstrates the appeal of our new family of advanced platforms which have been designed using our unrivalled experience and the know-how unique to SSTL, combined with cutting-edge technology, manufacturing and testing processes."

Under a joint development programme 14 Kazakh engineers will work alongside SSTL engineers to design and build the KazSTSAT spacecraft.

In addition to the SLIM-6 imager, KazSTSAT will fly a number of Ghalam LLP developed payloads, and will join the Disaster Monitoring Constellation, which provides daily images for applications including global disaster monitoring.

Environmental testing will take place at a new Ghalam LLP test facility being established in Astana, Kazakhstan.

SSTL has developed the new X50 satellite platform to provide a smaller, lighter, flexible spacecraft with enhanced systems capabilities and quality.

With a mass of 50kg, the compact, highly integrated design baselines flight-proven heritage with next-generation avionics to incorporate fully dual redundant subsystems and scaled core platform services such as power, structure, data processing, communications and high-precision attitude control.

The new platform design allows SSTL to take advantage of automated batch avionics manufacturing and test processes, and aids rapid assembly and integration of the spacecraft, bringing customers the benefit of shorter order to orbit timescales and reduced fixed-price costs.

Expedition 35 Launch

The Soyuz TMA-08M rocket launches from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Friday, March 29, 2013 (Thursday, March 28, U.S. Eastern Time) carrying Expedition 35 Soyuz Commander Pavel Vinogradov, NASA Flight Engineer Chris Cassidy and Russian Flight Engineer Alexander Misurkin to the International Space Station. 

Credit: NASA/Carla Cioffi

Soyuz Progress spacecraft docks at ISS after just six hours

Soyuz Progress space capsule has docked at the International Space Station (ISS) after a journey of less than six hours.

The three-man crew is the first to take the quicker route, involving just four orbits.

The journey normally takes two days for a Russian spacecraft. The arrival of Russians Pavel Vinogradov and Alexander Misurkin and Chris Cassidy of the US brings the number of crew at the ISS to six.

The crew launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. After lift-off at 20:43 GMT, the Soyuz capsule then entered orbit and, using intricate ballistics manoeuvres, succeeded in cutting out around 30 orbits and 45 hours from the flight time to the ISS.

Prior to the flight, the shortened route had been successfully tested three times by Russian Progress cargo ships, which are unmanned versions of the Soyuz that transport supplies to the ISS.



The three new arrivals are due to return to Earth in September. The other three members of the ISS crew arrived in December and will leave in May.

Over the next six months the crew will perform 137 investigations on the US operating segment of the station, and 44 on the Russian segment, according to a statement from the US space agency, Nasa.

Nasa said that the investigations will cover human research, biological and physical sciences, technology development, Earth observation, and education.

Soyuz Rolls Out at Kazakhstan

The Soyuz rocket is rolled out to the launch pad by train on Tuesday, March 26, 2013, at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. 

Launch of the Soyuz rocket is scheduled for March 29.

The Soyuz rocket will send Expedition 35 Soyuz Commander Pavel Vinogradov, and Flight Engineers Chris Cassidy of NASA and Alexander Misurkin of Russia on a five-and-a-half-month mission aboard the International Space Station.

Image Credit: NASA/Carla Cioffi

Russia's Soyuz TMA-08M spacecraft at Baikonur

Credit: NASA/Victor Zelentsov

The Soyuz TMA-08M spacecraft lowers into place March 22, 2013, during encapsulation into the third stage of a Soyuz booster rocket, at the Integration Facility of the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

Soyuz will launch March 29 (Kazakh time), carrying Expedition 35/36 Flight Engineer Chris Cassidy of NASA, Soyuz Commander Pavel Vinogradov and Flight Engineer Alexander Misurkin to the International Space Station for a 5-½ month mission.

Soyuz TMA-06M Spacecraft: Expedition 34 Crew Safe Landing

The scorched Soyuz TMA-06M spacecraft lies passively on its side on March 16.

It is used and discarded after bringing home Expedition 34 Commander Kevin Ford of NASA, Soyuz Commander Oleg Novitskiy and Flight Engineer Evgeny Tarelkin.

It was described as a rough ride but a safe landing, northeast of Arkalyk, Kazakhstan following a one-day delay due to inclement weather in the area.

The Soyuz initially lands upright because of the 'soft landing' parachutes, before being tilted on its side by the recovery crew for servicing.

The spacecraft touched down to conclude 144 days in space and 142 days for Ford, Novitskiy and Tarelkin at the International Space Station (ISS).

The three crew members were flown by helicopter to Kustanai, Kazakhstan for medical checks and de-briefing, en route to their homes in Houston and Star City, Russia. 

Photo credit: Sergey Vigovskiy

New ISS crew prepares for launch

Pavel Vinogradov

Russian cosmonauts Pavel Vinogradov and Alexander Misurkin and NASA astronaut Chris Cassidy have arrived at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan to prepare for the March 29 launch to the International Space Station.

Their Soyuz spacecraft is to reach the ISS in a record six hours due to a new fast-track launch trajectory.

The previous ISS crew of Russian cosmonauts Oleg Novitskiy and Evgeny Tarelkin and US astronaut Kevin A. Ford safely landed at Baikonur earlier this Saturday, after having spent more than 143 says working on board the ISS.

Adverse weather conditions had forced the Russian space agency Roscosmos to postpone the undocking and landing of the Soyuz capsule.

The Soyuz TMA-06M manned spacecraft with three ISS crew members on board has landed safely in Kazakhstan and search teams are moving in to pick them up.

Russian cosmonaut Roman Romanenko, Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield, and US astronaut Thomas Marshburn remain on the space station.

ISS Expedition 34 Crew Safe Landing in Kazakhstan

NASA's Kevin Ford and Russian cosmonauts Oleg Novitskiy and Evgeny Tarelkin, who had manned the $100 billion orbital outpost since October as Expedition 34, landed in cloudy weather at 7:06 a.m. Moscow time (0306 GMT) northeast of the town of Arkalyk.

They had spent 144 days aboard the multinational ISS on their space journey of almost 61 million miles (98 million km).

"The landing was energetic and exciting," Russian TV showed Novitskiy as saying.

NASA television said the deorbit burn and other events during the descent had gone flawlessly. It said the capsule had landed upright, almost hitting its bull's eye target in thick fog.

"Oleg Novitskiy reported to search and recovery teams that the crew is feeling good," NASA television said. "Everything seems to be in order."

Due to hampered visibility, it took a few minutes before helicopters with Russian search and recovery teams could locate the Soyuz capsule after its landing.

The first images shown by Russia's Vesti-24 television featured rescue workers standing in a snow-covered steppe opening the hatch of the capsule.

The three smiling astronauts were seated on semi-reclined chairs and covered with blue thermal blankets. They were then carried to a nearby inflatable medical tent.

On Friday, fog and freezing rain at the landing site in Kazakhstan prevented helicopters from setting up for the crew's return to Earth.

In preparation for their departure, Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield took the helm of the space station on Wednesday, becoming the first Canadian to take command of the outpost.

It is only the second time in the 12-year history of the station, a project of 15 nations that has been permanently staffed since November 2000, that command has been turned over to someone who is not American or Russian.

Hadfield will be part of a three-man skeleton crew until NASA astronaut Chris Cassidy and cosmonauts Pavel Vinogradov and Alexander Misurkin arrive later this month.

Expedition 34 Crew: Welcome Home!

Expedition 34 Flight Engineer Evgeny Tarelkin, left with flowers, Flight Commander Kevin Ford of NASA, center with flowers, and Soyuz Commander Oleg Novitskiy are greeted at the Kustanay Airport a few hours after they landed near the town of Arkalyk, Kazakhstan.

Ford, Novitskiy, and Tarelkin are returning from 142 days onboard the International Space Station where they served as members of the Expedition 33 and 34 crews.

Photo Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls

Astronauts Malenchenko, Williams and Hoshide, touched down in Kazakhstan

Russian space agency helicopters and vehicles stand near the Soyuz capsule after the spacecraft 's landing near the town of Arkalyk in northern Kazakhstan.

Russian cosmonaut Yury Malenchenko and two astronauts, Sunita Williams of the US and Akihiko Hoshide of Japan, touched down on the steppes of Kazakhstan in a Russian Soyuz capsule after spending over four months aboard the International Space Station.

Picture: MAXIM SHIPENKOV/AFP/Getty Images

NASA’s Joseph Acaba, Gennady Padalka and Sergei Revin Land Safely In Kazakhstan

A Russian Soyuz capsule carrying U.S. astronaut Joseph Acaba and Russian cosmonauts Gennady Padalka and Sergei Revin landed on the Kazakh steppe at 8:53 local time (0253 GMT) Monday.

U.S. astronaut Acaba and Russian cosmonauts Padalka and Revin rests after landing near the town of Arkalyk in northern Kazakhstan Monday.

The Expedition 32 crew, which arrived at the International Space Station May 17, returned to Earth after a four-month (123 days) stay there.

During their stay on the ISS, the trio orbited Earth 2,000 times and traveled 52,906,428 miles, according to NASA.

Padalka, who has spent a total of 711 days during four flights and ranks fourth for the most days spent in space, piloted the craft back to Earth.

Nasa Astronaut Acaba

NASA astronaut Sunita Williams, Russian cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko and Japanese astronaut Akihiko Hoshide remain on the ISS. Williams took command of Expedition 33 after the Soyuz spacecraft separated from the space station.

The trio on the ISS would be joined by NASA's Kevin Ford and Russia's Oleg Novitsky and Yevgeny Tarelkin in October.

The U.S. depends on Russia to send its astronauts to the ISS ever since NASA's shuttle program came to an end in July 2011. Russia charges NASA $60 million per astronaut.

NASA Soyuz TMA-05M with Expedition 32 Launches

The Soyuz TMA-05M rocket launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 10:40 p.m. EDT on Saturday, July 14, 2012, carrying Expedition 32 Soyuz Commander Yuri Malenchenko, NASA Flight Engineer Sunita Williams and JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) Flight Engineer Akihiko Hoshide to the International Space Station.

Image Credit: NASA/Carla Cioffi

NASA Soyuz Expedition 32 Trio Launch - Video Gallery

Expedition 32 Flight Engineers Suni Williams, Yuri Malenchenko and Aki Hoshide launched aboard the Soyuz TMA-05M spacecraft at 10:40 p.m. EDT Saturday (8:40 a.m. Kazakhstan time on Sunday) from Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan.

ISS Expedition 31 Crew Lands Safely in Kazakhstan - YouTube

Expedition 31 Commander Oleg Kononenko, NASA Flight Engineer Don Pettit and European Space Agency Flight Engineer Andre Kuipers landed safely on the steppe of Kazakhstan near the town of Dzhezkazgan on July 1, 2012, after bidding farewell to the Expedition 32 crew and undocking their Soyuz TMA-03M spacecraft from the International Space Station.

NASA ISS Expedition 30 Crew Returns to Earth - YouTube

Expedition 30 Commander Dan Burbank of NASA, Russian Soyuz Commander Anton Shkaplerov and Flight Engineer Anatoly Ivanishin landed safely on the steppe of Kazakhstan on April 27, 2012, after bidding farewell to the Expedition 31 crew and undocking their Soyuz TMA-22 spacecraft from the International Space Station.

The trio completed almost six months in space following a launch in November 2011. They are shown being assisted into reclining chairs by Russian personnel and beginning their adaptation to gravity after they were extracted from their capsule in Kazakhstan.