The task of the Ukrainian nanosatellite PolyITAN-2, which was recently launched into a near-earth orbit, includes the collection of information on the lower layers of the atmosphere - the thermosphere and the ionosphere. The obtained data will be used in forecasting the state of the climate on the planet, as well as on possible weather disasters.

This "Observer" was told by specialists of the National Technical University of Ukraine "KPI", who developed a nanosatellite.

Recall that on April 18, PolyITAN-2 went into space aboard the American launcher United Launch Alliance "Atlas V". Further, the high-tech apparatus was delivered by a cargo ship to the International Space Station, where, in a further 27 satellites from other countries, was put into orbit.

"Radio communication was established with the satellite, then they began to debug individual subsystems in accordance with the functional purpose of the satellite and according to the tasks of the international program QB50," the KPI.

According to Boris Rassamakin, the head of the heat pipes and nanosatellite technologies of the KPI, PolyITAN-2 will be at an altitude of 400 km and will collect information on the concentration of such particles as atomic and molecular oxygen, nitrogen and xenon as components of a low thermosphere. All the information received will be recorded in the archive of the central airborne processor and transmitted via radio channel to the Earth and sent to the data banks of all universities participating in the project.

"The task of the project is to clarify the global theoretical model of the Earth's thermosphere developed by the Boston University, which predicts the state of the climate and possible cataclysms," he said..

For reference, Nanosatellite was developed within the framework of the Space Program of the KPI. Igor Sikorsky. Its creation was made possible through the sponsorship of the Shenyang Aerospace University. Shenyang, China), the Foundation. Kalinin, LLC "Diona" and the company "Boeing-Ukraine Ltd".

The name PolyITAN-2 comes from two words - "polytechnical", as it was constructed by its Kiev polytechnics, and the abbreviations "technological automatic nanosatellite". The figure "2" in the title means that this is the second spacecraft built in the KPI for them. Igor Sikorsky.

The first nanosatellite of the Kiev polytechnics "PolyITAN-1" has been performing its mission in space for almost three years, transferring to the Mission Control Center in the KPI important research data.

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