The Ukrainian military issues website Militarnyi reported on Sunday that the first satellite of a planned joint Czechia-Ukraine constellation of orbiting surveillance platforms had successfully entered orbit in January.
The project resulted from the October 2022 agreement between Prague and Kyiv to develop mutually desirable defense programs in the face of Russian aggresion.
JOIN US ON TELEGRAM
Follow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official.
This first orbiting platform designated “TROLL,” was manufactured by the Brno-based company TRL Space. Its key element is the onboard hyperspectral camera which is not only capable of producing ultra-high quality “conventional” visible images with a resolution of five meters per pixel but uses artificial intelligence (AI) to analyze other parts of the spectrum.
The system is able to differentiate between natural and artificial material, such as camouflaged vehicles and locations; to monitor the presence or use of chemical and biological materiel; uncover environmental anomalies caused by ground, vegetation and watercourse disturbance; monitor energy and heat sources linked to military and civilian infrastructure; use soil analysis to identify areas suitability for both friendly and enemy military defensive structures or heavy equipment movement.
TROLL’s second sensor is a “Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR)” system which uses lasers to map, track and record satellites in Earth orbit that could impact Czechia’s defenses and that of its allies.
The Putin Fallacy
The TROLL satellite will be augmented by the DRAK satellite, which is being built jointly by Czechia and Ukraine, specifically for use by the Ukrainian Armed Forces. This is thought to be a “microsatellite” weighing less than 150 kilograms (330 pounds) and will house a conventional camera with enhanced image resolution of under one meter per pixel which will make it particularly effective for gathering strategic, operational, and tactical intelligence.
Five DRAK satellite are planned to be launched between 2026 and 2031 when their product will be made available not only to Ukraine but all of its allies that protect Central and Eastern Europe.
Another key feature of the satellites is that unlike traditional orbiters which transmit every image acquired to be downloaded to a control station for analysis they use onboard AI-equipped software which filters incoming data and only transmits relevant product which is then passed over an encrypted link to a Czech control station.
The program has taken on recent greater urgency amid concerns about the availability of Western intelligence support for Ukraine, particularly from the US whose Trump regime temporarily prevented Kyiv’s access to both government and commercial satellite imagery. TROLL / DRAK will, in the future, reduce Ukraine’s dependence on external space-based intelligence sources.
You can also highlight the text and press Ctrl + Enter
