Tags: CubeSat, Japan
Publication Date: 01/3/2013

FITSAT-1. Image credit: FIT

FITSAT-1, the small Japanese cubesat that has been orbiting Earth since the beginning of October 2012, has successfully accomplished its goal of studying optical communication techniques for satellites. The satellite, which weighs less than three pounds, spotted from the ground using its powerful light-emitting diodes (LEDs).

The FITSAT-1 was built by the Fukuoka Institute of Technology and was taken to the International Space Station aboard Japan’s H-2 Transfer Vehicle-3 in July 2012. It was deployed from the ISS last October together with two other cubesats using the Small Satellite Orbital Deployer attached to the Japanese Kibo module’s robotic arm.

The satellite contains a neodymium magnet that forces it to point always to magnetic north, like a compass. The next flashing is scheduled for 09:25:00 on 9th Feb. for the west coast of the U.S., according to the FITSAT-1 website.

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