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Uzbekistan’s Samarkand-2028 hyperspectral satellite is scheduled to lift off on 5 August from a sea-based launch platform in waters off China’s Shandong province, the Uzbekkosmos Agency has announced. The mission is being carried out by Chinese launch company STAR.VISION, which will place both Samarkand-2028 and the Indonesian Lampung-1 hyperspectral satellite into orbit on the same flight.
The launch is the operational outcome of a strategic memorandum signed between Uzbekkosmos and STAR.VISION. Under that agreement, specialists at the Uzbek space agency developed a dedicated artificial intelligence module for the satellite’s onboard systems. According to Uzbekkosmos, the module will allow hyperspectral data to be processed directly in orbit rather than transmitted raw to ground stations, a capability the agency says will significantly improve the efficiency of Earth observation.
The satellite’s name carries diplomatic as well as scientific weight. Uzbekkosmos chose the designation Samarkand-2028 to commemorate the decision, taken at the International Astronautical Congress in Sydney, Australia, to hold the 2028 edition of that congress in Samarkand — a recognition of Uzbekistan’s growing profile in the global space community.
What hyperspectral imaging offers
Unlike conventional optical satellites, hyperspectral instruments capture data across hundreds of narrow wavelength bands simultaneously, enabling analysts to distinguish materials and conditions that standard cameras cannot resolve. Uzbekkosmos says the data gathered by Samarkand-2028 is intended to support agriculture, environmental protection, natural resource monitoring and broader remote sensing applications across the country and the region.
The co-manifest with Lampung-1 reflects a wider pattern of smaller nations using commercial rideshare launches to establish independent space-based observation capabilities at lower cost than dedicated missions would require.