MicroDragon satellite on vibration test for the last time (Source: VNSC)Hanoi (VNA) – MicroDragon, a made-in-Vietnam earth observationsatellite, will be launched into orbit by an Epsilon-4 rocket from theUchinoura Space Centre in Japan’s Kagoshima Prefecture at 7:50 of January 17(Hanoi time), the Vietnam National Space Centre (VNSC) announced on January 9.
MicroDragon was developed by 36 Vietnameseengineers from the VNSC, who were sent to study space technology in Japan’s topfive universities, namely the University of Tokyo, Keio University, HokkaidoUniversity, Tohoku University and Kyushu Institute of Technology. Startingmanufacturing the satellite in 2013, the group successfully completed andtested it in 2017.
The satellite, measuring 50x50x50 centimetresand weighing 50 kilograms, is designed to monitor the quality of water incoastal areas, locate fishery resources, and observe changes in the ocean toassist the nation’s aquaculture. Also, it will help exchange database with theMicrosatellite community in the world to enhance capacity in response toclimate change and natural disasters.
Earlier, VNSC engineers successfully made asatellite named PicoDragon (10x10x11.35 centimetres, 1 kg), which was launchedinto orbit in 2013. As scheduled, after MicroDragon, Vietnam will makeLOTUSat-1 and LOTUSat-2 satellites with advanced radar technology, eachweighing 600kg and measuring 1.5×1.5×3 meters with a 5-year lifetime in orbit.The country is also developing a 10kg NanoDragon satellite.-VNA
VNA
