Vietnam launched Micro-Satellite Pico Dragon to International Space Station

Vietnam's micro-satellite Pico Dragon, together with three other such US satellites, was sent to ISS (International Space Station) by Japan's Kounotori-4 (HTV-4) cargo spacecraft .The two-stage H-2B rocket carrying the HTV-4 ship lifted on 3 August 2013, initiating a five-day journey to the habitable artificial satellite in low Earth orbit. Pico Dragon is programmed to capture images of the earth, collect space environment data and test communication systems, said the report, quoting sources from the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology. The satellite is planned to stay at the ISS for two-three months before going into space. In May this year, Vietnam's first remote sensing satellite - VNREDSat-1 - was launched into orbit from the Kourou launch pad in French Guiana.