PicoDragon
 Three CubeSat deployed by the Small Satellite Orbital Deployer (SSOD) as seen from the International Space Station. (From left: PicoDragon, ArduSat-1 and ArduSat-X.) | |
| Mission type | Technology |
|---|---|
| Operator | Vietnam National Satellite Center |
| COSPAR ID | 1998-067DB |
| SATCATno. | 39413 |
| Website | [1]Website of VNSC about Pico Dragon |
| Mission duration | Success and operation in 3 month in the space |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft type | 1UCubeSat |
| Manufacturer | VNSC |
| Launch mass | 1 kilogram (2.2 lb) |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 2:48 6/8/2013UTC+7 |
| Rocket | Kounotori |
| Launch site | Tanegashima |
| Deployed from | ISS |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric |
| Regime | Low Earth |
| Inclination | 51.6 degrees |
PicoDragonis a small satellite that followed the 1U type ofCubeSatprogram built by theVietnam National Satellite Center(VNSC) which belongs toVASTand operated in space for 3 months.[1]
It was the first product to be built in Vietnam in the space technology field. The target for this project is to co-operate in space technology development betweenVietnamand Japan. It is also the first Vietnamese satellite to launch successfully to space. Before the launch of PicoDragon, there had been 4 satellites launched into orbit:VNREDSat 1A,F-1,Vinasat-1andVinasat-2althoughF-1failed upon its launch.Vinasat-1,Vinasat-2,VNREDSat 1Awere all built by foreign partners or companies.[citation needed]
Specifications
[edit]- Size: 10 by 10 by 11.35 centimetres (3.94 in × 3.94 in × 4.47 in)[2]
- Weight: 0.983 kilograms (2.17 lb)
- Time operating: About 3 months
- Orbit
- High: 410 kilometres (250 mi)
- Inclination: 51.6 degrees
- Senses devices:
- CMOS camera (640 × 480 dpi) to take picture about Earth
- Contact by wireless link
- Broadcast station frequency about 437.250 MHz
- Telemetry downlink 1k2 bit/s AFSK 800 mW AX.25 about 437.365 MHz
- Very high frequency uplink use for control.
Journey
[edit]At 2:48 AM (UTC+07:00), 4 August 2013, PicoDragon was successfully launched to theISSvia the transport spacecraftHTV-4,followed byArduSat-1,ArduSat-X,TechEdSat-3of United States andKiroborobot of Japan, all of which were launched atTanegashimabyKounotoriof Japan.[3]Before its placement into orbit from theISS,it was held back for additional checks.[citation needed]
PicoDragon was a 1U CubeSat project designed for low resolution Earth imagery and to test on-board systems.[4]
On 19 November 2013 (Vietnamese time), PicoDragon was launched into orbit by theISS.[5]4 hours after the launch, the first signals of PicoDragon were successfully received by the ground station in Japan. After that, VNSC's ground station also received signals from PicoDragon. After more than 3 months in orbit, PicoDragon - Vietnam's first microsatellite completed the mission and burned upon atmospheric entry back to Earth.[6]
Future
[edit]PicoDragon's mission has been deemed sufficient, and in its 3-month orbit, it transmitted an advertising signal "PicoDragon Vietnam" (PicoDragon Việt Nam) to ground-based radio stations.
According to professor Pham Anh Tuan, director of VNSC, after PicoDragon, Vietnam will build more satellites with larger sizes (10 kilograms (22 lb) in 2015 and 50 kilograms (110 lb) in 2017) and will launch a 500 kilograms (1,100 lb) satellite to observe the Earth from space in 2020.[citation needed]
References
[edit]- ^"Pico Dragon".eoportal.org.RetrievedApril 2,2023.
- ^"Profile of the PicoDragon satellite".Vietnam National Space Center. October 11, 2015.Retrieved2 April2023.
- ^"HTV4 (KOUNOTORI 4) Mission Press Kit"(PDF).JAXA.Retrieved2 April2023.
- ^Krebs, Gunter D."PicoDragon"".Gunter's Space Page.RetrievedApril 2,2023.
- ^"List of deployed CubeSats using J-SSOD".JAXA. 3 December 2019.Retrieved2 April2023.
- ^"PicoDragon completed its mission (Vietnamese)".VTC News. 7 March 2014. Archived fromthe originalon 2014-07-27.Retrieved2 April2023.