Hungary's first satellite awaits orbit
Forrás: MTI |
2012. február 13. hétfő 16:16 |
It is small, weighs less than a kilo and has been made by university students but the satellite, Hungary's first, is ready for orbit.
Masat-1 has joined eight others in the bay of the European Space Agency's Vega launcher, which lifted off from Kourou, French Guyana, at 11am on Monday, the space agency said on its website.
Students and teachers at the Budapest Technical University (BME) spent four years working on the 10x10x10 cm pico-satellite, which should reach space above Hungary five hours after launch.
Built mainly for education purposes, the satellite will record data about its own position and its environment, and transmit the data to a terrestrial station established by the university.