Made-in-Vietnam satellite docks with int’l space station

The F-1 satellite, the first of its kind manufactured in Vietnam, successfully connected to the International Space Station (ISS) on July 27 after a week-long journey.

Launched into orbit on July 21 from Japan’s Tanegashima Space Centre, the F-1 satellite carried a small national flag and a memory stick containing the names of 7,529 Vietnamese people and their messages, together with images of Vietnam, its people and several Vietnamese songs.

The satellite, which measures 10x10x10cm and weighs one kilogram, was manufactured in 2008 by the Space Research Division (FSpace) of FPT Technology University. It can take low-resolution pictures and transmit them to the Earth at a speed of 1,200b/s.

(VOV)