Vietnam's NanoDragon satellite set to enter orbit on Thursday October 7

The solid-fuel Epsilon 5 rocket at the launch pad on October 5. — VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — The made in Vietnam” NanoDragon satellite is scheduled to be launched into orbit on October 7.

The announcement was made by Associate Professor, Phạm Anh Tuấn, General Director of the Việt Nam National Space Centre (VNSC) under the Việt Nam Academy of Science and Technology.

The launch is slated to take place from 7:51.21 am to 7:55.16 am (Hà Nội time), according to the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).

The solid-fuel Epsilon 5 rocket will carry the NanoDragon satellite and eight others into space. It will be launched from JAXA’s Uchinoura Space Centre in the town of Kimotsuki in south-western Kagoshima prefecture of Japan.

JAXA on October 1 morning suspended the launch of the rocket some 19 seconds before the scheduled lift-off time.

According to the agency, a glitch occurred at ground radar equipment that monitors the Epsilon-5's position and speed, located near the rocket's launching pad. It could have caused a problem in tracking the rocket, JAXA added.

The NanoDragon, a nano-layer cubesat satellite which weighs 3.8 kilogrammes, was developed by the VNSC.

The satellite was delivered to Japan and assessed at the Uchinoura Space Centre in Kagoshima prefecture in August before being officially transferred to the JAXA for launching under the second "Innovative satellite technology demonstration" programme. — VNS