The effort to develop Arktika-MP, a new hydrometeorological satellite, will begin in 2026. The device will provide information on high-latitude Arctic regions.

“Roscosmos State Corporation has plans to develop Arktika-MP, a new-generation hydrometeorological spacecraft that will be a major step forward in terms of the information we get about the Earth’s high-latitude Arctic regions by increasing the number of spectral channels and improving the spatial resolution of the images it takes,” Roscosmos said in a statement.

According to the corporation, the development is scheduled to begin in 2026.

In addition, there are plans to build versions three through six of the Arktika-M satellite and launch them into orbit by 2031.

Arktika is a space hydrometeorological and climate monitoring system designed to monitor the Arctic climate and environment. It needs at least two satellites to become operational. According to Lavochkin Research and Production Center, a tandem of two Arktika-M spacecraft will be able to monitor the Earth’s surface and the Arctic Ocean around the clock in any weather.