Moscow - Only an infrared reconnaissance satellite can help clarify the circumstances under which the Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 crashed in Ukraine. A regular remote sensing satellite will be useless, a source in the Russian space surveillance system told Interfax-AVN.
“Remote sensing satellites, dozens of which have been deployed in
space, are mostly tasked to film the earth’s surface, infrastructure and
slow moving objects. They are not equipped to film rapidly moving
objects, especially if these objects are maneuvering,” the source said
on the condition of anonymity.
“Images of southeastern Ukraine might have been taken on that day on
the orders from a commercial or state company but it is practically
unrealistic that every filming condition was synchronized and the images
depicted the Malaysian Boeing at the crash moment,” he said.
Infrared satellites are different, the expert noted. The Russian
Defense Ministry spoke yesterday about such U.S. satellites, which were
above Ukraine at the crash moment.
“The satellite might have detected in the infrared band the launch of
a surface-to-air missile, same as the flight of a Ukrainian assault
aircraft near the Boeing and the launch of an air-to-air missile.
However, the U.S. side has not presented the satellite data to the
general public,” the expert said.
Regular remote sensing means operating in the optical band are
practically incapable of detecting the flight of a commercial jetliner,
its being accompanied by an assault jet, and the launch of an air-to-air
missile or a surface-to-air missile, he continued.
“True, satellites operating in the optical band may accidentally
discover a plane flying above a concrete territory but chances that all
the pieces will fall into place are one to a thousand or even a million.
Images can be taken in the cloudless skies, and it was cloudy in
southeastern Ukraine on the day of the crash; besides, the satellite
must be tasked to film a concrete area, and the filming is done only
from a certain angle and over a certain space. Besides, the satellite is
not hovering above the required spot but passes it one or several times
a day depending on its orbit,” the source in the Russian space
surveillance system said.
