FPT researches and manufactures remote sensing satellites

A group of young Vietnamese engineers of FPT Company have just started to build small satellites to take remote sensing photos. The satellite production is expected to be completed in 2010.

The FSpace team is installing antennas for satellite receiving stations.Photo: FSpace

That is the goal of the FSpace group (under the Space Research Department of FPT Software Joint Stock Company) led by engineer Vu Trong Thu. FSpace F-1 satellite project launched on January 1 is expected to end on June 31, 2010 when the group completed the FM model - Flight Model (used for launch). According to engineer Vu Trong Thu, the total funding for the project of manufacturing F-1 satellites (excluding launch costs) is more than 80,000 USD sponsored by FPT in each period.

According to the manufacturing plan, the small satellite F-1 will have a projected size of 10x10x30 cm, weighs about 3 kg, carrying some cameras to take pictures as well as sensors to collect data on LEO orbit ( about 600-800 km from the ground). The power of this satellite is 4 solar panels, NiMH battery. Launching satellites into orbit will require or hire foreign boosters and is expected to proceed in the second half of 2010.

Talking about the F-1 manufacturing team, Vu Trong Thu said that the group had four members and about 10 collaborators divided into 7 groups, most of them studied electronics - telecommunications, mechanics, automation, and news. Study . Someone already has a master's or doctoral degree but also have a member who gives up university to pursue a passion for manufacturing. According to Mr. Thu, the project now faces some difficulties in precision manufacturing technology, testing environment, pairing with boosters and lack of experts in some related fields .

In the other part of the work, the FSpace team has completed a number of tasks such as building ground stations and obtaining signals to control and decode NOAA meteorological satellite cloud images. According to Vu Trong Thu, small satellites often have very weak broadcast power (usually from 1W back) plus large communication distances (from 1,000 to 2,000 km) but the Fspace antenna has caught the signal. This success has brought great confidence to team members.