Vietnam about to launch super-small satellite

LookAtVietnam - The first super-small satellite manufactured by Vietnam, named Pico-Dragon, was completed in May 2009 and will be launched into orbit in 2010 or 2011, said the Vietnam Space Technology Institute’s vice head.

 

The satellite was manufactured by the Vietnam Space Technology Institute with technical assistance from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).

 

Different from Vietnam’s first satellite, Vinasat-1, which is big and modern, the first made-in-Vietnam satellite Pico Dragon is very small, just 10×10x10cm in size and less than 2kg in weight. This is a remote-sensing satellite.

 

Pico-Dragon was manufactured by a group of young engineers, born in the 1980s, under the instruction of Dr. Pham Anh Tuan.

 

This small satellite will be launched with small satellites of other countries, at the cost of $50,000, said Dr. Tuan.

 

He said that Vietnam’s success in producing this small satellite will not be able to be determined until after launch because the satellite’s quality can only be tested through it operation.

 

The Pico Dragon project was implemented to serve training tasks. Dr. Tuan said that by manufacturing this small satellite, the Vietnamese engineers had a chance to learn fundamental knowledge and the professional working-style required in hi-tech industries from Japanese experts.

 

“With abundant investment, Vietnamese engineers could gradually manufacture bigger satellites than Pico Dragon,” Tuan said.

 

                                                   

Tuan said that his institute is willing to transfer the technology to manufacture small satellites to university students and interested people.

 

After the Pico Dragon satellite project, the research group has joined a project of JAXA to manufacture and launch a 50kg satellite named Micro STAR.

 

Vietnam still restricts the import of hi-tech and sensitive equipment, which affected the small satellite project.

 

A member of the design group said that they had to change the design of Pico Dragon several times to fit with equipment that they could buy. He said that the small satellite is worth over 600 million dong.

 

This satellite has a lifespan of six months in orbit. The technical model of Pico Dragon will be on display at the Techmart Vietnam ASEAN+3 in Hanoi from September 17-19.

 

Mai Loan