VN-made macro satellite sends initial signals
VGP – Made-in-Viet Nam micro satellite PicoDragon on November 20 sent its first signals to ground stations from outer space, according to the Viet Nam National Satellite Centre (VNSC).
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Made-in-Viet Nam micro satellite PicoDragon on November 20 sent its first signals to ground stations from outer space |
PicoDragon was sent to the International Space Station (ISS) in August 2013 by Japan's Kounotori-4 (HTV-4) cargo spacecraft, together with three others such NASA satellites.
The satellite was made by VNSC young engineers and researchers of the Viet Nam Academy of Science and Technology (VAST).
It was put into orbit at 07.17pm on November 19 (local time) and sent signals back to ground stations in Japan four hours later.
Shortly after that the VNSC’s ground station received signals from PicoDragon when it traversed over the Vietnamese territory.
Pico Dragon is 10x10x11.35 cm and weighs nearly one kilogram. It is assigned to capture images of the earth, collect space environment data and test communication systems./.
By Khanh Phuong
