Close-up view of satellite

At the Industry 4.0 Summit 2018 event, the first model of Micro Dragon, Earth observation satellite "Made in Vietnam" was introduced to attendees.

Micro Dragon was built by 36 Vietnamese engineers, from the Vietnam Space Center, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology (VNSC) since 2013. The testing process was completed in 2017 and until October. / 2018, Micro Dragon will be launched into orbit by Japanese Epsilon missiles.

Micro Dragon was built by 36 Vietnamese engineers.

After launching into space, Micro Dragon has the task of observing coastal waters to assess water quality, locate aquatic resources, monitor changes in occurrences in coastal waters to serve Vietnam aquaculture industry. Detecting cloud cover, aerosol properties for atmospheric correction. Collect sensor signals on the ground and then transfer these data quickly to remote locations on Earth.

2 cameras of 100m resolution (43x47km photo scene) and 3 cameras of 1km resolution (scene 625x495km picture).

The Earth observation satellite weighs 50kg, measures 50 x 50 x 50 cm, uses a 140W solar cell. Micro Dragon has 3-axis control mechanism, integrates solar sensors, magnetic sensors, star sensors, optical qyro sensors, GPS receivers, magnetic bars and momentum wheels. Sharing with VnReview, VNSC representative said that Micro Dragon satellite can operate for about 3-4 years and has a trajectory of 500km, more than its predecessor Pico Dragon.

Around Micro Dragon is nearly 200 solar panels.

Enough to power the 500km path in the universe.

Talking about the necessity of satellite photography, VNSC representative said that Vietnam lost about 1.5% of GDP annually due to natural disasters. But if we have satellite images, we can be more timely in warning accurately the storms and floods . reducing great damage to GDP as well as people's lives. Or like city planning, if every month Hanoi is given a satellite image, the planning agency will know which areas are encroached without having to wait for reports from the establishment; or the search for a source of oil stains on the sea. "We need to have our own satellite to be able to take the initiative. If it was before, buying or asking for a photo from a foreign country takes about 2 days, when there is a satellite it takes only 6-12 hours to have a photo. In addition, the manufacture of satellites in Vietnam will entail other industries such as materials, mechatronics and development automation, "said VNSC representative.

Connection ports on the back.

After Micro Dragon, according to the schedule, Vietnam will proceed to manufacture LOTUSat-1 and LOTUSat-2 satellites, two satellites with advanced radar technology with a volume of about 600kg, nearly 12 times MicroDragon, size is 1, 5m x 1,5m x 3m, exists on the universe for 5 years.