Serbia to launch first satellite with help from China – Astronomical Observatory and DFH company sign memorandum of cooperation

Serbia will develop the MOSAIC satellite project with China, which involves the construction and launch of a satellite into orbit for the Belgrade Astronomical Observatory. The Director of the Astronomical Observatory, Luka Popovic, and the President of the DFH Satellite company from Beijing, Xiao Tao, signed a Memorandum of Cooperation between the two institutions regarding this project.

The DFH Satellite company represents the Chinese Academy of Technical Sciences and deals with the construction and launch of small satellites into orbit. The signed memorandum will primarily relate to scientific and technological cooperation, but will also enable cooperation with other institutions, especially with engineers who would have the possibility of application in the economy.

– The idea of this agreement is to exchange experiences and to work together on a satellite where we would manage to adopt some technologies related to satellites and satellite technologies and to be ready to work with our scientists and engineers at least on these small satellites – Popovic pointed out, as reported by TV Una.

Popovic said that he expected that after the signing of the memorandum, there would be an exchange of science and technology, but also the adoption of skills possessed by Chinese scientists and the Chinese space administration, which, according to him, is one of the leading ones in the world.

– We have a problem with teaching staff in primary and secondary schools, physics, mathematics. However, we are in a somewhat better situation with engineering staff, and engineering staff are needed here. Of course, scientific staff are also needed, but above all, very skilled engineers who would work in electronics, mechanical engineering, etc. and I think that, in terms of personnel, including the University of Nis, the University of Belgrade, the Faculty of Electrical Engineering, the Faculty of Electronics in Nis, we have enough personnel and a lot of young people who are ready to acquire new skills – he said.

The Director of the Astronomical Observatory said that satellites were used in various areas such as early fire warning, floods, but also in agriculture.

Advisor to Minister of Science Zoran Tomic said that a project like this implied the possibility for Serbia to transfer knowledge and to train its people to create and design satellites that would be used for scientific purposes, but also for the needs of agriculture and other sectors.

– This is very important, this is a continuation of the activity because we already had bilateral cooperation through the development of our scientists, where some of the scientists from the Observatory and other institutions have already been to China, so that, through the implementation of this project, we are working on increasing our capacities so that we can develop our own missions and, with the support of partners, we can realize them – said Tomic.

He said that the initial value of the project had been EUR 700,000, but that, due to the increase in the dimensions of the satellite that had originally been built, the project had to be expanded, which would also extend the satellite’s lifespan.

Astronomska opservatorija Beograd

Belgrade Astronomical Observatory

DFH

Luka Popović

Xiao Tao

Zoran Tomić

satellite project MOSAIC

construction and launching of Serbian satellite into orbit