APD | Sri Lanka’s first satellite released into orbit

By APD writer Easwaran

**COLOMBO, July 18 (APD) ** - Sri Lanka’s first satellite ‘Raavana 1’ was released into orbit on Monday from the International space station (ISS).

The release was broadcast live on YouTube by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).

Officials from the Sri Lankan Embassy in Japan were at JAXA to witness the launch.

The satellite was launched into space in April from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility on Virginia’s East Shore.

The BIRDS-3 satellites from Japan, Nepal, and Sri Lanka were taken to the International space station (ISS) and boarded onto the Antares rocket and launched in April.

The satellite was designed and built at the Kyushu Institute of Technology in Japan by Sri Lankan research engineers Tharindu Dayaratne and Dulani Chamika from the Arthur C.Clarke Institute in Sri Lanka.

Its camera mission is to take pictures of Sri Lanka and its neighboring countries. Its Lora Demonstration Mission is to validate the module to be used to data download next satellites.

The Attitude Determination and Control Mission of ‘Ravaana 1’ involve the team trying to reduce the angular velocity of the satellite using magnetic torquers.

‘Raavana 1’ weights around 1.05 kg and the lifespan of the satellite is around one and a half years.

(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)