The resolution of the Belarusian satellite will allow using images of Antarctica in the future to determine reserves in coastal waters. The statement was made by head of the Belarusian Antarctic expedition Aleksei Gaidashov.
         The satellite will also allow determining geological structures of the icy continent. It will be valuable in view of the existing ban on commercial surveys and the extraction of natural resources in Antarctica.
“We have to lay down the foundation for the future. It may be a distant future when economically feasible technologies to extract subsurface resources are available,” noted the Belarusian polar explorer. “One day the matter of dividing Antarctica into spheres of influence may arise. We should be ready for it”.
During the fifth Belarusian Antarctic expedition the scientists took part in calibrating the optical instruments that the Belarusian satellite uses. “The surface of Antarctica is an ideal testing ground for calibrating this kind of equipment,” said the head of the expedition.