F-1 (satellite)

F-1
	Flight model of F-1
Mission type	Technology demonstration
Operator	FPT University/Uppsala University
COSPAR ID	2012-038E (1998-067CR)
SATCAT no.	38855
Mission duration	Failed to contact ground stations; 100 days (planned)
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft type	CubeSat
Manufacturer	FPT University
Launch mass	1 kg (2.2 lb)
Dimensions	10 × 10 × 10 cm (3.9 × 3.9 × 3.9 in) (1U)
Start of mission
Launch date	21 July 2012, 02:06:18 UTC
Rocket	H-IIB F3
Launch site	Tanegashima, Yoshinobu LC-Y2
Contractor	Mitsubishi Heavy Industries
Deployed from	ISS Kibō; Delivered by Kounotori 3
Deployment date	4 October 2012,; 15:44:15.297 UTC
Entered service	Failed to contact ground stations
End of mission
Decay date	9 May 2013
Orbital parameters
Reference system	Geocentric orbit
Regime	Low Earth orbit
Inclination	51.65°
	; F-1 mission patch

F-1, formally known in Vietnam as Vệ tinh nano F-1 (lit. 'Nano satellite F-1'),^[4] was a Vietnamese CubeSat built by FSpace laboratory, FPT University in partnership with Angstrom Space Technology Center (ASTC), Uppsala University, Sweden and Nanoracks, an American company.

The satellite

Hardware

Structure: aluminium alloy T-6061
Power supply: body-mounted solar cells, rechargeable Li-Polymer battery
PIC16 and PIC18 micro-controllers
Yaesu VX-3R handheld transceivers
C328 low-resolution camera
Temperature sensors
Three-axis magnetometer (ASTC)
2-meter band and 70-cm band dipole antennas

Specifications

Size: 10 × 10 × 10 cm (3.9 × 3.9 × 3.9 in) (1U CubeSat)
Mass: 1 kg (2.2 lb)
Communication: 2 independent radios using amateur radio Very high frequency (VHF) and Ultra high frequency (UHF) bands, transmission speed 1200 bit/s; AFSK and PWM Morse code modulation, KISS protocol
Payload: low resolution C328 camera (640 × 480 maximum resolution, 8 bit color)
Sensors: temperature sensors and three-axis magnetometer
Targeted orbit lifetime: at least 3 months on orbit (depend on release altitude from the ISS)

Communication subsystem and packet format

Backup UHF channel

Only operational in daylight
Frequency: 437.485 MHz
Modulation: Narrow FM
Power: about 0.2 watt RF output
Antenna: half-wave dipole
Beacon interval: 20 seconds duration, repeated every 90 seconds
Pulse-Width-Modulation Morse code telemetry beacon, as follows:

No1	Data	Description	Size (bits)	Size (chars)
1	F-1's callsign	"XV1VN"		5
2	OBC1 reset count	Number of OBC1's reset since the beginning	8
3	Temperature 1	°C (temperature inside F-1, OBC board)	8	5
4	Temperature 2	°C (temperature outside F-1, Y- side)	8
5	Checksum bit	0 if summary of items #2 to #4 is even, 1 if it is odd	1
			Total	10

Main VHF channel

Operational during night time but may be turned on in daylight later
Frequency: 145.980 MHz
Modulation scheme: AFSK/FM
Power: 1.0 watt RF output
Antenna: half-wave dipole
Baud rate: 1200 bit/s
Telemetry and interval: one burst of 3 telemetry packets in KISS format every 30 seconds (interval configurable)

F-1's KISS packet format was as follows:

No	Data	Description	Size (bit)
1	Date time	Date: dd/mm/y: 5/4/3=12 bits Time: hh/mm/ss: 5/6/6=17 bits	29
2	Battery voltage	Battery voltage multiplied by 100 (divide by 100 to get actual value)	11
3	Solar cells voltage	Solar cells voltage multiplied by 10 (divide by 10 to get actual value)	8
4	Temperature 1	°C (side 1, Y+)	8
5	Temperature 2	°C (side 2, Y-)	8
6	Temperature 3	°C (side 3, X-)	8
7	Temperature 4	°C (side 4, Z+)	8
8	Temperature 5	°C (side 5, Z-)	8
9	Temperature 6	°C (side 6, X+)	8
10	Temperature 7	°C (inside side 5, Z-)	8
11	Temperature 8	°C (inside, under VX-3R1)	8
		Total	112 bits = 14 bytes

Note:

Periodically, F-1 would send a burst of 3 telemetry packets with the same content, to avoid packet loss
Time in UTC, 24 hours format
Year count starting from 2012 (2012 equals 0, 2013 equals 1 and so on...)
Battery voltage reading is accurate to 0.01 volt, values are multiplied by 100. Divide by 100 to get actual value.
Solar cells voltage reading is accurate to 0.10 volt, values are multiplied by 10. Divide by 10 to get actual value.
Temperature readings from sensors, will be added with 100 before transmission to ensure a positive number so please subtract 100 to get actual value
112 bits, divided into 14 bytes

Manufacturing process

In late 2008, plans for a small satellite were submitted to FPT Software. In early 2009, FSpace laboratory was founded.^[5]

F-1 was initially planned to have a dimension of 10 × 10 × 30 cm (3.9 × 3.9 × 11.8 in) and a mass of 3 kg (6.6 lb).^[6] Later, the satellite's dimension and mass were revised to be 10 × 10 × 10 cm (3.9 × 3.9 × 3.9 in) and 1 kg (2.2 lb) respectively.

Mission

F-1 was planned to train young engineers and students about aerospace engineering and evaluate an advanced three-axis magnetometer, Spin-Dependent Tunneling Magnetometer (SDTM) designed in Sweden by ASTC.^[7]

Launch and status

Initially, F-1 was planned to be launched in late 2010.^[6]

F-1 was launched on 21 July 2012 and delivered to the International Space Station (ISS) aboard Kounotori 3 (HTV-3) along with the RAIKO, WE WISH, Niwaka and TechEdSat-1 cubesats. Then, on 4 October 2012, it was deployed into orbit from the ISS using the JEM-Small Satellite Orbital Deployer (J-SSOD) which was attached to the Kibō module's robotic arm.^[8]^[9]

As of 2 November 2012, F-1 failed to confirm communication after the orbital deployment.^[10]

F-1 decayed on 9 May 2013.^[3]

F-2 satellite project

FSpace laboratory had planned a follow-up mission of F-1, called F-2. The F-2 satellite was expected to participate in the QB50 project, with a planned dimension and mass of 10 × 10 × 20 cm (3.9 × 3.9 × 7.9 in) and 2 kg (4.4 lb) respectively.^[11]^[12] However, F-2 was no longer listed in the QB50's website. It is unknown whether what happened with F-2, however, the project was possibly cancelled.^[13]

References

^ "Display: F-1 2012-038E". NASA. 14 May 2020. Retrieved 13 January 2021. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
^ Bergin, Chris (20 July 2012). "Japanese H-IIB launches HTV-3 to the International Space Station". NASASpaceFlight.com. Retrieved 13 January 2021.
^ ^a ^b "Trajectory: F-1 2012-038E". NASA. 14 May 2020. Retrieved 13 January 2021. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
^ Trọng Đạt (15 November 2021). "Điểm mặt những dự án chinh phục vũ trụ bằng vệ tinh Make in Vietnam" [List of space conquer project by 'Make in Vietnam' satellites]. VietNamNet (in Vietnamese). Retrieved 16 July 2025.
^ "Mày mò chinh phục không gian" [Tinkering to conquer space]. VietNamNet (in Vietnamese). 13 February 2010. Retrieved 16 July 2025.
^ ^a ^b "FPT sẽ phóng vệ tinh vào năm 2010" [FPT to launch satellite in 2010]. VietNamNet (in Vietnamese). 9 April 2009. Retrieved 16 July 2025.
^ Gunter, Dirk Krebs (28 January 2020). "F-1". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved 13 January 2021.
^ 大塚実 (25 January 2012). "JAXA、宇宙ステーションから超小型衛星を放出できる装置をプレス公開" (in Japanese). mynavi.jp. Retrieved 13 January 2021.
^ 「きぼう」日本実験棟からの小型衛星放出ミッション (in Japanese). JAXA. 5 October 2012. Archived from the original on 13 November 2012. Retrieved 13 January 2021.
^ Chánh Trung (2 November 2012). "Mất tín hiệu vệ tinh F-1 của Việt Nam" [Vietnam's F-1 satellite signal lost]. Báo Người Lao Động (in Vietnamese). Retrieved 16 July 2025.
^ Vũ Hải (19 July 2012). "Khởi động công nghệ sản xuất vệ tinh" [Starting satellite technology manufacturing]. VietNamNet (in Vietnamese). Retrieved 16 July 2025.
^ "F-2 nanosatellite". AMSAT-UK. 5 April 2012. Retrieved 16 July 2025.
^ "F-2 Spacecraft". Nanosat Database. 5 January 2024. Retrieved 16 July 2025.