Nepal-PQ1 also known as SanoSat-1 is Nepal's first PocketQubepicosatellite developed by ORION Space that was launched on January 13, 2022, from Falcon 9.[1] The primary function of the satellite is to collect wind, temperature, and humidity data and communicate findings with ground stations in Nepal[2][3][4]
Background
The PocketQube is developed by ORION Space in collaboration with AMSAT-Nepal and AMSAT-EA,
with the brokerage service offered by FOSSA Systems, a leading aerospace company
focused on developing picosatellites for IoT communications.
SanoSat-1 is a PocketQube of 1P size designed and developed with readily available
commercial components (COTS) to measure space radiation while orbiting,
and periodically transmit it to Earth. The satellite will act as a digital repeater in
an amateur band. The store and forward concept can be used in remote disaster-prone
locations. The same concept can also be used to collect data from ground-based
sensors, store it on board, and transmit it to Earth's main station.
The picosatellite has successfully passed all Environmental Testing Campaigns and is
on its way to Cape Canaveral (Florida, USA), where it will be launched with SpaceX's
Falcon 9 vehicle. The satellite has a mass of 250 grams.[5]
Launches are separated by dots ( • ), payloads by commas ( , ), multiple names for the same satellite by slashes ( / ). Crewed flights are underlined. Launch failures are marked with the † sign. Payloads deployed from other spacecraft are (enclosed in parentheses).