Vietnam’s MicroDragon satellite enters space
Friday, 18/01/2019 16:04 (GMT+7)
According to Vietnam News Agency (VNA) correspondent in Japan, Vietnam’s MicroDragon satellite was launched into space at 09h50 in Japan on January 18th (local time).
Vietnam’s MicroDragon satellite enters space (Photo provided by the Vietnam National Space Centre)
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) carried out the launch of MicroDragon along with six Japanese satellites using an Epsilon-4 rocket from the Uchinoura Space Centre in Kagoshima Prefecture, some 1,000 km away from Tokyo.
Micro Dragon, an earth observation satellite, weighs 50kg and measures 50x50x50cm. It was created by 36 engineers from the Vietnam National Space Centre (VNSC) under the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, who studied space technology in Japan. They began creating the satellite in 2013, and it was tested successfully in 2017.
After going into orbit, it will observe coastal sea areas to assess water quality, locate fisheries resources, and monitor changes in coastal waters to serve Vietnam’s aquaculture industry. It is also set to receive sensory signals from the ground and then transfer data to other distant places on earth, while testing new materials like atomic oxygen and antimony tin oxide coating solar cell.
Micro Dragon is the next step in Vietnam’s road map to gradually master satellite design and production./.
Compiled by BTA