Vietnam to launch micro satellite

The Vietnam National Satellite Centre (VNSC) has confirmed that the Vietnamese micro satellite Pico Dragon will be shipped to the International Space Station ( ISS) early in August. The device, a 10x10x11.35 centimeter cube with nearly one kilogram in weight, is the first of its kind developed by Vietnamese engineers and researchers for launching into space. Its duties will be to capture images of the earth, collect space environment data and test communication systems. It will be launched from an H-IIB rocket from the Yoshinobu Launch Complex at the Tanegashima Space Centre in Kagoshima prefecture in Japan, said local Vietnam News on Monday. VNSC is working with Tokyo University and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) to test the satellite in space environment before launching it. The satellite will be kept at the ISS for two to three months before being put to work.