Satellite communications for agricultural needs to be tested in the Rostov Region
This decision was made during the visit of RSCC Director General Alexey Volin to the Rostov region.
Russian Satellite Communications Company, together with the Don State Technical University (DSTU), the Agricultural research center “Donskoy” and the largest manufacturers of tractors and combines Rostselmash and Bizon, plan to conduct an experiment by installing the developed Russian satellite equipment on agricultural machinery, which will increase the accuracy of its positioning from 30 cm to 4 cm. This is expected to increase the efficiency of tractors and combines by 10-15%.
It is also planned to adapt the developed domestic precise point positioning devices to agricultural machinery produced in and imported to the Russian Federation. It is extremely important that the machinery can work outside the mobile communications and Internet coverage area, because up to 90% of in our country’s cultivated agricultural land is beyond the reach of mobile operators.
Russia produces about 7,000 combine harvesters and 6,000 agricultural tractors annually. Today the Russian Federation occupies 20% of the world market for the supply of agricultural machinery. Delivery of precise point positioning equipment based on the Russian GLONASS navigation system can be a serious step towards the development of digital technologies in agriculture.
“We consider the agro-industrial complex as one of the main prospective consumers of space communications services. Given that our country has its own navigation system, we must find competitive domestic solutions for its further adaptation to agricultural needs. And together with our partners from the Rostov region in the field of science, production and education, we plan to find the main technological solutions and identify promising ways of development in this area by the end of this summer," said Alexey Volin. He claims that this experiment can also give impetus to new training and educational programs.