Small satellite "made in Vietnam" into space
On July 21, the F-1 satellite manufactured by the Space Research Department - FSpace, FPT Technology Research Institute, FPT University...
On July 21, the F-1 satellite, manufactured by the Space Research Laboratory - FSpace, FPT Technology Research Institute, FPT University, will be launched from the Tanegashima Space Center, Japan. It is expected that after F-1, the research team will launch the F-2 satellite with more modern technology than F-1.
From Thang Long Bridge... to space
Mr. Vu Trong Thu, FSpace representative, said that in the world, satellite manufacturing is not new, so when manufacturing this satellite, the research team did not consider making F-1 different from foreign satellites, but more importantly, how to make F-1 survive in space.
During the process, there were many difficulties, especially with the testing equipment. For example, frequency meters, vibration testing machines... These are expensive machines and in Vietnam,
The first milestone was on June 18, 2009, when the FSpace team first brought the F-1 from the lab to the outdoors to test long-distance communication. The team brought the F-1 to Thang Long Bridge (7km away), Noi Bai Airport (20km) and to the top of Tam Dao Mountain (50km). The F-1 sent signals and successfully communicated with the central system. FSpace remotely ordered the F-1 to take photos and measure parameters.
The second milestone was when the F-1 first "went abroad" to Japan on March 14, 2011 for vibration testing. The third milestone was in November 2011, when the F-1 was shipped to the US to a partner company, NanoRacks, in
The satellite manufacturing team said that the stages have now been completed. In fact, a space system not only has a satellite but also a ground control station. During this stage, FSpace focuses on ensuring that the ground station is ready to receive signals as well as send control commands to the satellite. Currently, FSpace has succeeded in transmitting control signals to the satellite.
In addition, FSpace is preparing to operate the satellite after launch. The first thing to do is check the battery status. Before sending F-1 to Japan, the team fully charged the battery, but there is also a risk because the team cannot follow the satellite until it is placed on the rocket, so it is difficult to predict what will happen.
In addition, check the electronic clock on the satellite, before transferring the satellite, FSpace has adjusted the time to the international time system. When sending commands, there will be some "delay" commands, meaning that the command will be executed on this day and at this time. Some commands will be executed immediately, but some commands must wait for the right time to be executed. For example, if we want to command F-1 to take a photo at the desired location, the satellite itself does not know its location, so we will calculate the time when F-1 flies over the place we need to take a photo.
Implemented in 4 years, the total cost for the F-1 satellite including research, satellite manufacturing, ground station research and manufacturing, launch rental... is about 4 billion VND.
After F-1 comes F-2
Mr. Vu Trong Thu said that in the world today, a new trend is gradually forming to replace large satellites (weighing hundreds of kilograms or tons) with small satellites to reduce manufacturing costs as well as launch costs. In addition, the manufacturing time of these small satellites is also significantly shortened to only 2-3 years.
In the upcoming plan, the group will continue to research satellites. Currently, the group has ideas for the F-2 satellite and has written a proposal. The first difference of the F-2 is that it will be larger than the F-1, the expected size is 10x10x20cm and weighs 2kg, which is twice as much as the F-1.
It is expected that one technology that F-2 will test is ADCS satellite attitude determination and control technology, because when operating in orbit, satellites will be affected by many disturbances in space, causing the satellite to rotate during flight. Therefore, a system to determine and control the satellite's attitude is needed to rotate the satellite to a necessary position to serve a certain purpose such as taking pictures of a certain area on Earth or tracking objects on the ground...
The time the satellite stays in orbit depends on the altitude of the rocket launched (due to many factors in orbit, the satellite will gradually lose altitude, until it falls to about 90km, then it will have strong friction with the atmosphere and burn up). The mission of the F-1 is to live and send signals to Earth. Next, the F-1 collects data about the "health" of the satellite in orbit: battery voltage; taking pictures of the Earth, testing magnetic sensors; testing the satellite's advanced features...
According to Kienthuc-M