ABOUT

GEOSCAN Technologies (GT) was established in October 2004 for implementation of R&D in the fields of space technologies and telecommunications, geophysics, radio science and space physics, monitoring of natural and technological disasters with use of ground-based, aerial and space platforms. The Company is involved in the development of methods and tools for large magnitude earthquake forecasting, the design and building of communication devices and systems for the stratospheric and space vehicles, and the development of micro, nano and pico satellites.

GT actively collaborates with a number of enterprises and academic institutes including Institute of Space Research (ISR), the Rocket Space Corporation ENERGIA, Institute of Physics of the Earth (IPE), and Institute of Terrestrial Magnetism, Ionosphere and Radio Wave Propagation (IZMIRAN). Our strategic partner is Mullard Space Science Laboratory (MSSL) at University College London, UK. Among the collaborators are the enterprises of the aviation industry and hydrometeorology, in particular MYASISCHEV Design Bureau (MDB), Central Aerologic Observatory, etc. Collaboration is performed through carrying out of joint research with leading specialists of these enterprises, execution of contractual works and consultancy agreements.

Main GT activity until spring of 2011 has been performed in a frame of R&D contracts and the consultancy agreements with numerous customers from the USA, EU, Kazakhstan and Russian Federation. Then the Company concentrated on the preparation and advancement of the TwinSat project. Currently this is our master project aimed at the development and practical implementation of integrated aerospace and ground technologies for early detection and monitoring of large magnitude earthquake precursors to improve an accuracy and reliability of impending earthquake prediction. TwinSat is a UK-Russia joint space project, which is carried out in close collaboration with Mullard Space Science Laboratory (MSSL) - Department of Space and Climate Physics, University College London (UCL).

A powerful group of small spacecraft and onboard system developers earlier worked at the POLYOT Design Bureau and some professionals from the research institutions of Omsk city have joined GT on the beginning of TwinSat project implementation. This engineering team works under the leaderships of Boris Nesterov - Development Director and Chief Designer of the GEOSCAN Technologies.

Boris has passed all steps of the labor way from a senior technician at the POLYOT enterprise to a head of spacecraft R&D department and a chief designer. He is awarded with medals of Federation of Cosmonautics and the honorary title of distinguished developer of rocket and space technologies, has numerous patents and publications. Boris has great experience of leading the design laboratories and also of original development of design documentation for micro satellites OBZOR, STROI, RUSLO-2020-MKA, OTRABOTKA, BAUMANETS-2, STERKH, KANOPUS-ST, QUICK LAUNCH, MOZHAETS-4, UNIVERSITETSKY, DEMONSTRATOR, as well as the adaptation to rocket-launcher of group and solitary launches of small satellites for different companies from the UK, USA, Germany, Sweden and Mexico.

Members of GT scientific team are high level professionals in geophysics, radio science, theoretical physics, space science and technology. Among the team leaders are:

GT Director General and Head of the TwinSat project Doctor of sciences Vitaly Chmyrev worked more than 35 years at two institutes of Academy of Sciences (first in IZMIRAN and then in IPE RAS), taking up the positions from junior researcher at the beginning of career to deputy director of Institute. He participated in series of space projects including MAGIC (Intercosmos-18), APEX (Intercosmos -24), Intercosmos-Bulgaria 1300 and COSMOS-1809. Vitaly was initiator and leader of several research programs of International Science and Technology Center (ISTC). He has got the state award (an order "Sign of worship"), medals and diplomas of Federation of Cosmonautics, diploma and joint prize of Russian and Bulgarian Academies of Sciences for contribution in space research. He is an author of more than 70 publications in refereed scientific journals, the science citation index is 1009.

Head of laboratory of data analysis and theoretical modeling Doctor of sciences Prof. Valery Sorokin is an author of 150 publications in refereed scientific journal and 3 monographs, member of American Geophysical Union, participant of several ISTC projects. His science citation index is 704. The ideology and structure of the TwinSat project is based to a large extent on the electrodynamic model of the lithosphere-atmosphere-ionosphere coupling developed by him and his colleagues.

Chief scientist Doctor of sciences Prof. Oleg Pokhotelov is an author of more than 330 publications in refereed scientific journals and 7 monographs in English and Russian, including 3 books devoted to the problems of precursors to earthquakes and the methods for short-term earthquake prediction, a member of American Geophysical Union. He has been participant of a number of ISTC and FP7 projects, his science citation index is 2108. Under his guidance 8 students have received PhD degrees and 3 pupils became doctors of sciences.

Head of remote sensing laboratory Doctor of sciences Andrew Tronin is a world class specialist in the Earth science and remote sensing, an author of more than 40 papers published in refereed scientific journals. His science citation index is 357. Andrew is a discoverer of the anomalies of outgoing infrared (IR) radiation of the Earth as an indicator of growing seismic activity and the first developer of the satellite methods for IR thermal survey for investigation of earthquakes.

Head of laboratory of ground testing Doctor of sciences Valery Kostenko is about 40 years in space industry and science, first in Rocket Space Corporation ENERGIA and then in the Institute of Space Research of Academy of Sciences. He works in the fields of thermal physics, systems for provision of thermal regimes and their elements, opto-electronic devices, designing of micro satellite and their systems, ground testing of space techniques, equipment and methodology for carrying out the tests. Valery published about 100 papers in scientific journals, has 24 author certificates and 18 patents, awarded with prize of Highest School, an order "Sign of worship" and medals of Federation of Cosmonautics.

Head of space instrumentation laboratory Candidate of sciences (PhD) Gennady Belyaev is a high level specialist in designing and building of electronic equipment, author of more than 40 papers published in refereed scientific journals, participant of several ISTC projects. He has developed a series of highly sensitive magnetic sensors for geophysics and space research and ULF/ELF/VLF receivers for ground and space applications, which have been used in numerousinternational experiments.

The UK team of the TwinSat project headed by Prof. Alan Smith includes Profs. Peter Sammonds and Filippos Valionatos of UCL Institute for Risk and Disaster Reduction, Prof. Christorpher Owen and Dr. Dhiren Kataria of UCL Mullard Space Science Laboratory.

All joint team members have an established track record in the development and implementation of satellite projects and experiments in the fields of space plasma physics, the influence of human activity on near Earth environment, the effects of natural and technological disasters on the ionosphere, etc. The TwinSat program is based to a large extent on experimental studies and theoretical modeling performed by the team members.

Officially TwinSat was first presented in Royal Aeronautical Society at Yuri Gagarin's Legacy Space Conference (London, 16th March 2011) in the report by Vitaly Chmyrev and Alan Smith "Detection and Monitoring of Earthquake Precursors: TwinSat, a UK-Russia Satellite Project".

Second of two highest priority projects of GEOSCAN Technologies is AVIS - "Development of autonomous video-information system for verification of spacecraft separation and monitoring of their state". The project work program includes the development of separation, approaching and docking technologies for nano satellites of numerous applications. This program is realized in cooperation with RSC ENERGIA under financial support of Skolkovo Foundation.

A significant part of GT activity is devoted towards the development of HATP (High Altitude Platform Station), which is a Rapid Deployment System for Broadband Wireless Communications using M-55 stratospheric aircraft. This is a project developed in close collaboration with MYASISHCHEV Design Bureau (Russia) and QucomHaps Holding (Ireland). A branch of this project called Rapidly Deployable Emergency Communications System is of strategic importance for the creation of a global security network as a tool for the provision of communications, broadcasting and monitoring of the environment over the regions damaged due to large scale natural or technological disasters. One of the practically important results achieved in a frame of this work is the development of a circular multiuser beam-free phased array for wireless communications made by Igor Sergeev and his colleges. This development has aroused interest in the mobile communications market thanks to the higher capacity of the network provided by such antennas.

One of the most prospective projects of the GEOSCAN Technologies and MDB is "M-55 Launcher" devoted to the creation of Mobile Airborne Micro Satellite Launch System. This system is dedicated for precise injection of micro satellites, up to 150 kg weight, into near Earth orbit from any country having standard airport runway facilities for normal take-off and landing. It provides an efficient and cost effective launching facility that has the potential to satisfy growing demand for micro satellite launch services especially in less-developed counties. Our strategic partner in this project is ARSENAL Design Bureau (St. Petersburg, RF).

Through close working relationships and strategic partnerships with academic institutions and aerospace industries in Europe and other countries, GT is able to identify new scientific ideas and opportunities and formulate strategies for converting these intellectual properties into viable business propositions. Keeping in line with the best traditions of scientific community, new ideas are first rigorously tested and proven before being introduced in the global market for commercial exploitation.