First Made-in-Vietnam satellite to enter orbit in July

Satellite F 1 manufactured by Vietnam’s FPT technology university will be launched into orbit from a launch pad in Japan’s Tanegashima Space Centre in late July.

Testing the satellite's vibration

Satellite F 1 manufactured by Vietnam’s FPT technology university will be launched into orbit from a launch pad in Japan’s Tanegashima Space Centre in late July.

An HII-B rocket of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) will bring the Made-in-Vietnam satellite, the first of its kind, into orbit on July 21, said Vu Trong Thu, head of the university’s Space Research Division (FSpace).

F-1, designed and manufactured in 2008, measures 10x10x10cm and weighs 1 kilogram. It can snap 640x480 pictures and send to earth at a speed of 1,200b/s.

Engineers and experts are examining the safety of the satellite before transporting it to Japan later this month.

F-1 will help monitor maritime transport and forest fire prevention, said experts.