Tokyo – The authorities in Japan and Ukraine plan to realize a joint program to monitor the state of the environment and the reactors at the NPPs in Fukushima and Chornobyl using small satellites, the Japan's Nikkei newspaper reported on Thursday.
According to the newspaper, it is expected that Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida and his Ukrainian counterpart Leonid Kozhara are to approve the project on Aug. 26, 2013 at a meeting in Kyiv.
The newspaper said that seven mini-satellites are expected to be launched into orbit by a Russian rocket as early as 2014.
The size of mini-satellites will be 50 centimetres and their weight will be around 60 kilograms.
The satellites will take photos from space every two hours.
The satellites will collect information on the areas surrounding the disaster-hit NPPs. Experts will be able to more efficiently monitor radiation levels and the state of the two NPPs, the newspaper said.
