Vietnam’s RS satellite model completed

Vietnamese engineers have completed the technical model of the country’s first remote sensing satellite, a local newswire reported. The Pico-Dragon satellite is expected to be launched between 2010 and 2011 along with other countries, Pham Anh Tuan – deputy head of Space Technology Institute (STI) told Vietnamnet.The launching of the satellite, whose functions include taking high-resolution photographs of natural resources, aiding weather forecasts and monitoring phenomenon like storms, will be a test of Vietnam’s ability to make its own satellites, Tuan said.Made by STI in cooperation with Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, Pico-Dragon weighs less than two kilograms with 10x10x10 centimeter dimensions and will have a life expectancy of around six months.

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