Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) launched two new satellites earlier this month - a climate monitoring and navigation satellite, and the university’s first satellite with a commercial payload.
The climate monitoring and navigation satellite, named VELOX-CI, will orbit the Earth for the next three years to study Asia’s tropical climate and to test a new navigation system. The other VELOX-II is carrying an experimental “communication-on-demand” technology that will be tested over one year.
The two satellites were launched from India’s Satish Dhawan Space Centre on the Indian Space Research Organization's Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C29) rocket, together with Singapore’s first commercial earth observation satellite TeLEOS-1 and three other Singapore satellites.
TeLEOS-1 is built by ST Electronics (Satellite Systems) Pte Ltd, a joint venture between ST Electronics (Satcom & Sensor Systems) Pte Ltd, NTU and DSO National Laboratories.
“Besides training our students for a career in the aerospace and space industry, we have implemented various advanced concepts and new technologies into the present and future satellites in the pipeline. This will further strengthen NTU’s reputation as a centre for excellent and credible satellite technology,” said Associate Professor Low Kay Soon, Director of NTU’s Satellite Research Centre.
NTU Singapore is the first university in Singapore to develop a satellite program for undergraduates and boasts one of the most advanced satellite research facilities in Asia.