RBKA n°1

RBKA is a satellite built by Belarus and Russia. RBKA will follow in the footsteps of BKA (Belarusian Satellite) launched along with Kanopus-V 1 and several other satellites in July 2012. Both BKA and Kanopus use an identical bus built by the VNIIEM Corporation in Moscow and a payload delivered by OAO Peleng in Minsk. In 2015 plans were announced for a follow-up satellite called BKA-2 with a higher resolution than its predecessor. RBKA would seem to be an outgrowth of those plans. The satellite will provide panchromatic and stereo imagery with a resolution of about 0.4 m, placing it in the same category as high-resolution Earth imaging satellites such as DigitalGlobe’s WorldView. Also mentioned are the capability to provide high-definition video with a resolution of about 1.0 m as well as high-resolution multispectral imagery in the visible and infrared regions of the spectrum. The intention is to use the satellite not only in the interests of Russia and Belarus, but also to offer imagery for sale on the international remote sensing market.