UrtheCast 1

Launch data: Designation  N/A Launch date  25 Nov 2013 Launch site  Baikionur, LC-31/6 Launch vehicle  Soyuz-U Mission  Earth observation Destination platform  Zvesda module Attached date

UrtheCast 1

Spacecraft data: Prime manufacturer   Platform  mounted on ISS Operator  UrtheCast Mass at launch   kg Dry Mass   kg Basic shape   Dimension (m)   Equipment  MRC, HRC Solar array   Stabilization   Propulsion  None DC power  provided by ISS

UrtheCast 1 on ISS - Credit: NASA

Description:

• UrtheCast 1 is an earth observation payload attached to the ISS.
• The first UrtheCast payload consists of two camera systems:
  • MRC (Medium Resolution Camera) or Theia is a camera to take still images. The MRC is essentially a modified version of RALCam-3, an existing and reliable space camera. The MRC is pointed directly down and takes continuous images of Earth in ~50 km swaths at a resolution of ~6 m.
  • The HRC (High Resolution Camera) or Iris instrument is a video camera mounted on a steerable platform, which captures video that shows detail with a spatial resolution of 1 m. The HRC can also be controlled to continuously aim at a single point on the Earth's surface as the ISS passes overhead which allows the HRC to generate a video stream instead of single images.
• The cameras interface with the data handling electronics, built by MDA in Vancouver, Canada, which pass the data through the ISS systems down to the ground where Urthecast make the images available for streaming to their customers and to the public.
• UrtheCast 1 was delivered to the ISS on board of the Progress-M 21M cargo. It is attached to the Zvesda module of the ISS, where it was mounted in the course of two spacewalks. The Urthecast payload is operated via Energia.