Sri Lanka’s third nano-satellite, developed with the technical expertise of local engineers, is scheduled to be launched into orbit tomorrow (19), the Arthur C. Clarke Institute for Modern Technologies in Moratuwa announced.

Named BIRDS-X Dragonfly, the satellite was transported to the International Space Station (ISS) aboard NASA’s SpaceX-33 rocket on August 24.

Sri Lanka has previously launched two nano-satellites: Ravana-1 in 2019 and KITSUNE in 2022, the latter as part of a multinational collaboration with five international partners.

According to officials, the BIRDS-X Dragonfly nano-satellite will be released into its designated orbit from the ISS at 2:15 p.m. tomorrow.

Main Missions of BIRDS-X Dragonfly:

• In-orbit testing of a new communication sub-system: A low-cost UHF transceiver built using commercial off-the-shelf components (COTS) will be tested in space, exploring affordable and reliable ground-to-space communications for future nano-satellite missions.
  
• APRS Digipeater: Provide a satellite-based platform to relay APRS (Automatic Packet Reporting System) messages, enabling global amateur radio operators and researchers to experiment with satellite communications.
  

Store-and-Forward Communication: Demonstrate a system where user messages can be uploaded, stored onboard, and later downlinked to ground stations across different regions.