Arkhangelsk To Undergo Satellite Survey

This document, a JPRS report dated March 17, 1991, provides a transcript of a radio broadcast from Moscow All-Union Radio Mayak regarding activities in the Arkhangelsk region of the Soviet Union. The report features correspondent Valentin Bogomolov interviewing a Colonel Grin, a commander at the Plesetsk space launch site. The discussion addresses the frequent sightings of unidentified objects by citizens of Arkhangelsk on clear nights. Colonel Grin explains that these sightings are often misidentified rocket launches occurring at the Plesetsk facility, which is described as the world's busiest space launch site. The conversation shifts to the utility of the Cosmodrome for the region, with Grin detailing the recent launch of the 'Informator' spacecraft, designed to test communications in remote areas where traditional methods are economically unviable. Furthermore, Grin discusses the 'Resurs' spacecraft, which was launched to conduct a comprehensive survey of Arkhangelsk Oblast, focusing on mineral resources, timber resources, and ecological monitoring. The report concludes with a brief exchange regarding the availability of satellite imagery, with Grin noting that maps compiled from satellite measurements have been presented to the local oblast soviet.