Vietnamese engineers work to develop MicroDragon satellite. (Photo: )Hanoi (VNA) – MicroDragon, a made-in-Vietnam earth observation satellite,will be launched into space in Japan on January 17, 2019, according to the VietnamNational Space Centre (VNSC) under the Vietnam Academy of Science andTechnology.
Citing an announcement of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) onNovember 3, the VNSC said MicroDragon and six Japanese satellites will belaunched by an Epsilon-4 rocket from the Uchinoura Space Centre in KagoshimaPrefecture at 9:50:20-9:59:37 (local time). MicroDragon will be separated from therocket at a height of 511 kilometres.
MicroDragon was developed by 36 Vietnamese engineers from the VNSC, who weresent to study space technology in Japan’s top five universities, namely theUniversity of Tokyo, Keio University, Hokkaido University, Tohoku Universityand Kyushu Institute of Technology. Starting manufacturing the satellite in2013, the group successfully completed and tested it in 2017.
The satellite, measuring 50x50x50 centimetersand 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 centimeters, 1 kg), which was launchedinto orbit in 2013. As scheduled, afterMicroDragon, Vietnam will make LOTUSat-1 and LOTUSat-2 satellites with advancedradar technology, each weighing 600kg and measuring 1.5×1.5×3 meters with a 5-yearlifetime in orbit.-VNA
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