The first indigenously developed satellite in Vietnam, the F-1 Satellite, manufactured by the Space Research Division of the FPT Technology University, had a successful launch into orbit from Japan’s Tanegashima Space Center at 11.06 am (Japan time) or 9.06 am (Hanoi time) on July 21.

Vietnam’s F-1 Satellite was launched into orbit from Japan’s Tanegashima Space Center.

The F-1 Satellite was assembled onto HTV-3 transport ships and put into orbit by HIIB-rocket. Four other satellites built by Japan and the US were also launched into orbit together with the F-1.

As planned, when the satellites are at the ISS (international space station) in six days after their launch, the ISS crew will move them into the Kibo module.

Akihiko Hoshide, one of the astronauts, will operate the Kibo module’s robotic arm to deploy the smaller satellites, including F-1, into orbit scheduled to take place around September.

Built in late 2008, the F-1 Satellite measures 10 x 10 x10 cm and weighs 1 kilogram. It can snap 640 x 480 pictures and send them back to earth at a speed of 1,200 bytes per second.