Quakefinder Launches Quakesat For Earthquake Research
By Staff Writer | June 30, 2003
QuakeFinder successfully launched its QuakeSat satellite Monday from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in Russia. The satellite was placed into a low-Earth polar orbit, approximately 840 kilometers above the earth. QuakeFinder’s objective is to analyze the magnetic fields from both space and ground-based sensors and to use this information to predict earthquakes. The ultimate goal is to provide earthquake-warning data to government officials, with an increasing level of warning on the order of weeks, days, and hours, prior to a major earthquake.
The launch included a total of eight scientific satellites, including the Canadian MOST satellite (see story above), integrated on a Eurockot booster.