Uploaded July 2017 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
Video Credit: JAXA
Five small camera-equipped satellites were released from the International Space Station on Friday for Ghana, Mongolia, Nigeria and Bangladesh as part of the BIRDS project managed by the Kyushu Institute of Technology, Japan. Formally known as the Joint Global Multi-Nation Birds Satellite project, the initiative is aimed at providing developing countries access to a space mission. The identical, 10 x 10 x 10-centimeter satellites were built by 15 students from the participating countries, enrolled in graduate programs at KIT.
The small satellites have three mission objectives: collecting imagery of the Earth with 0.3 and 5-megapixel cameras, engage the Ham radio community, and measure single-event upset rates in orbit as a result of in-space radiation. The 1.13-Kilogram satellites are controlled via seven ground stations in the participating countries.
Deployment of the satellites was completed from J-SSOD #7 and the satellites are identified as follows: BRAC Onnesha, GhanaSat 1/ANUSAT 1, Toki, Mazaalai/NUMSAT 1 and EduSat 1. A second round of BIRDS satellites is planned in 2018 involving the Philippines, Bhutan and Malaysia.
Astronaut Jack Fischer posted a photo of the deployment here: twitter.com/Astro2fish/status/883301471776677888
Video Credit: JAXA
Five small camera-equipped satellites were released from the International Space Station on Friday for Ghana, Mongolia, Nigeria and Bangladesh as part of the BIRDS project managed by the Kyushu Institute of Technology, Japan. Formally known as the Joint Global Multi-Nation Birds Satellite project, the initiative is aimed at providing developing countries access to a space mission. The identical, 10 x 10 x 10-centimeter satellites were built by 15 students from the participating countries, enrolled in graduate programs at KIT.
The small satellites have three mission objectives: collecting imagery of the Earth with 0.3 and 5-megapixel cameras, engage the Ham radio community, and measure single-event upset rates in orbit as a result of in-space radiation. The 1.13-Kilogram satellites are controlled via seven ground stations in the participating countries.
Deployment of the satellites was completed from J-SSOD #7 and the satellites are identified as follows: BRAC Onnesha, GhanaSat 1/ANUSAT 1, Toki, Mazaalai/NUMSAT 1 and EduSat 1. A second round of BIRDS satellites is planned in 2018 involving the Philippines, Bhutan and Malaysia.
Astronaut Jack Fischer posted a photo of the deployment here: twitter.com/Astro2fish/status/883301471776677888
