On June 17, four CubeSats were deployed from the Japanese Experiment Module (JEM) “Kibo” on the International Space Station. NepaliSat-1 was co-developed by the Nepal Academy of Science and Technology (NAST) and the Kyushu Institute of Technology (Kyutech); Raavana-1 was co-developed by the Arthur C Clarke Institute of Modern Technologies (ACCIMT), Sri Lanka, and Kyutech; Uguisu was developed by Kyutech; and SpooQy-1 was co-developed by the Singapore Space and Technology Association (SSTA) and the National University of Singapore.

These CubeSats were developed for the third round of the BIRDS Project (BIRDS-3), an international joint development and operations project for CubeSats, by the Kyushu Institute of Technology and certain Asian and African nations. Japan, Sri Lanka, and Nepal participated in this round of the program, developing a 10 cm³ CubeSat in 12 months. Raavana-1 (Sri Lanka), and NepaliSat-1 (Nepal), are respectively the first two satellites from their countries. SpooQy-1 was designed and developed by the National University of Singapore as part of an agreement signed between the Singapore Space and Technology Association (SSTA) and JAXA on utilization of the Kibo module.

For more information, please visit: http://iss.jaxa.jp/en/kiboexp/news/190625_jssod11.html.