Experiment

Guatemalan first CubeSat delivered to JAXA

On December 3, 2019, the CubeSat "Quetzal-1" designed and built by students and researchers of the Universidad del Valle de Guatemala (University of the Valley of Guatemala) was delivered to the JAXA at Tsukuba Space Center by the satellite development team.

"Quetzal-1" is the Guatemalan first satellite, selected at the second round of the KiboCUBE Programme which has been jointly promoted by JAXA and United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA). Since the first orbital deployment of CubeSats from Kibo in 2012, this is the 13th mission of CubeSat deployment using the JEM Small Satellite Orbital Deployer (J-SSOD). Quetzal-1 will be deployed from the ISS Kibo in the spring of 2020.

Satellite development team of the Universidad del Valle de Guatemala and JAXA researchers around the CubeSat "Quetzal-1" (Credit: JAXA)

Guatemalan and Japanese officials who exchanged the delivery confirmation notes
(Credit: JAXA)

Quetzal-1 team of the Universidad del Valle de Guatemala with their first CubeSat (Credit: JAXA)

Quetzal-1 team of the Universidad del Valle de Guatemala expressed their appreciation to JAXA officials, handing an appreciation letter (Credit: JAXA)

(Credit: JAXA)

【Name of satellite】Quetzal-1 [size: 1U]
【Organizations】Universidad del Valle de Guatemala (University of the Valley of Guatemala, Republic of Guatemala)
【Mission】Demonstration of an observation technique for phytoplankton concentration (chlorophyill α), by using a CMOS camera and sea surface imaging with the self-made filter on the CubeSat. This aims to acquire satellite development and remote sensing technologies.

Related Topics

[Press Release]An University Team from Guatemala Selected for Second Round of KiboCUBE (September 11, 2019)

[Press Release]The Universidad del Valle de Guatemala handed over Guatemala's first satellite to JAXA for deployment Under UNOOSA-JAXA KiboCUBE Programme (December 4, 2019)

*All times are Japan Standard Time (JST)