Lobachevsky satellite demonstrates its effectiveness in agricultural monitoring
Experts from Geoscan company have calculated the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) using images of Earth captured by the Lobachevsky satellite operated by UNN. The data confirm the potential of small spacecraft for monitoring crop conditions, predicting yields, and managing land use. With a spatial resolution of 4 meters per pixel, the Lobachevsky satellite offers a more detailed picture compared to the most common NDVI satellite data sources in Russia.
The NDVI index enables the assessment of vegetation condition and development, tracking field changes throughout the season, and creating time series of observations. Analysing such data allows agricultural holdings and government authorities to forecast yields, identify heterogeneities within individual plots, manage crop rotation, and make timely decisions regarding agrotechnical tilling measures.
To demonstrate the satellite's capabilities, experts used a multispectral image of an agricultural area in the vicinity of Paris. The NDVI indexderived from this imagemakes it possible to assess the state of vegetation cover, clearly distinguishing fields without vegetation, areas with low and high vegetation activity.
"Most analytical services rely on multispectral imagery data from European Sentinel satellites with a resolution of approximately 10 meters per pixel. Due to the geopolitical situation, it is becoming increasingly difficult for Russian users to access this data, making the creation of their own systems urgent. The Lobachevsky satellite has proven that a satellite constellation based on small platforms can serve as a more efficient and cost-effective alternative to Western services. Moreover, the compact design of the spacecraft allows for deploying a full orbital constellation in a single launch, ensuring regular data updates and comprehensive coverage of the country’sterritory," commented Pavel Sirotinkin, Project Manager at Geoscan.
UNN's Lobachevsky satellite was created using the Geoscan 16U compact satellite platform. The satellite's multispectral camera, manufactured by Lepton JSC, features a resolution (nadir pixel projection) of 4 meters per pixel at 500 km altitude. Additionally, the satellite carries a hyperspectral camera developed by Samara State University. The satellite project was implemented as part of the Space-π educational programme, supported by the Innovation Promotion Foundation and the Nizhny Novgorod Research and Education Centre.
