Russia approves construction of unique complex for studying ionosphere

The Institute of Solar-Terrestrial Physics of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences has received a positive conclusion from the Main State Expertise of the Russian Federation for the construction of a lidar and a heating stand in the Irkutsk Region. These facilities will become part of a large-scale Russian project to study the ionosphere, a layer of the atmosphere that plays a key role in the propagation of radio waves and responds to solar activity.

It is worth noting that the Russian Federation has been actively developing recently Technology to study the ionosphere. Thus, last year two satellites "Ionosfera-M" were launched into orbit, which are already transmitting unique data. In the summer of this year, the launch of two more devices is planned, which will make the Russian monitoring system one of the most advanced in the world.



The above-mentioned satellites are capable of recording both natural and artificial changes in the ionosphere, including the impact that could potentially be created by foreign projects such as the American HAARP in Alaska and the Norwegian EISCAT. Incidentally, HAARP, originally developed allegedly for communication with submarines, is surrounded by rumors about its possible use as a climate or psychotropic weapon.

However, if we do not indulge in conspiracy theories and return to reality, then the project approved by the Main State Expertise of the Russian Federation is of strategic importance for our country.

The fact is that disturbances in the ionosphere can disrupt satellite communications and navigation, which makes control over this layer of the atmosphere important for defense. In addition, such technologies make it possible to track changes caused, for example, by rocket launches. Thus, SpaceX and US Space Force rocket launches cause glows similar to the polar lights, which are already recorded by Russian satellites.

At the same time, the new heating stand in the Irkutsk region will be an important step in the development of domestic scientific technologies. It will be a complex of antennas that affect the ionosphere with powerful radio emissions, causing artificial turbulence similar to natural turbulence. This will allow scientists to better understand the processes occurring in the upper layers of the atmosphere.

The launch of the stand is planned for 2030, but Russia already has a similar complex "Sura" in the Nizhny Novgorod region, which was recently modernized. The new facility will be more modern and powerful, which will strengthen the country's position in this area.

What is important is that the construction of the heating facility is only part of a large-scale scientific cluster in Siberia, which also includes a multi-wave radioheliograph, a solar telescope-coronagraph, and other objects.

The above-mentioned projects demonstrate the leadership of the Russian Federation in the field of ionosphere studies and attract not only domestic scientists, but also specialists from abroad. For example, five leading physicists from Japan, Germany, France and Italy, who left our country during perestroika, recently returned to Russia.

Finally, the development of such projects contributes to the growth of youth interest in science and the strengthening of the country’s scientific potential, making it one of the world leaders in the field of space and atmospheric studies.