VANCOUVER, Feb. 18, 2014 /CNW/ - UrtheCast Corp. (TSX:UR) ("UrtheCast" or "the Company") is extremely pleased to announce that its two Earth sensing cameras — a High Resolution Camera (HRC) that will produce 1-meter class, full color videos, and a Medium Resolution Camera (MRC) that will produce 6-meter class, 50-km wide swaths of imagery — have successfully passed initial functional testing. The engineering teams from UrtheCast and RSC Energia have confirmed that camera data from both the MRC and HRC can now be successfully captured and stored in our Data Handling Unit onboard the International Space Station (ISS), and downlinked to the ground station in Moscow. Initial test imagery has been acquired from the MRC, which is being used to support the analysis and calibration of the camera. The team also continues to commission and calibrate the HRC's precision pointing platform, which is required before test imagery can be acquired by the HRC.
"With both cameras functioning as anticipated, we are now focusing on further commissioning and calibration of the cameras and the pointing platform for the HRC. This will allow us to unveil our first official full color, Ultra HD video, which is expected in Q2," explained UrtheCast's Chief Technology Officer, Dr. George Tyc. "This is a tremendous achievement for the engineering teams at UrtheCast and RSC Energia. We're extremely grateful for the hard work that they've provided, especially over the past few months."
UrtheCast plans to release its first commercial grade video and imagery as part of a dedicated marketing effort. The Company remains focused on the commissioning of its cameras and related systems on the ISS, ground system testing, and the continuation of its business plan.