Singapore plans 2025 launch for its first low-earth orbit satellite
Singapore has marked a significant milestone in its space exploration journey as it is set to launch its first satellite designed to orbit closest to Earth in mid-2025.
The satellite, named Extremely Low Earth Imaging Technology Explorer (Elite), will orbit the Earth at an altitude of 250km, significantly lower than the typical 500-800km range of most satellites.
The Elite satellite is a research satellite that will spend about 1.5 years in space to test novel, home-grown devices and determine if more Singapore satellites can fly closer to Earth.
The Elite satellite is a joint project between Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Aliena, LightHaus Photonics, NUS Temasek Laboratories, and ST Engineering Satellite Systems and is the country's 14th satellite, and its largest and most complex to date.
Orbiting at a lower altitude, the Elite satellite will be able to capture higher-quality images of up to 50cm in resolution, allowing for better monitoring of agricultural activities, mining, and disaster response. The satellite will also be equipped with Singapore's first locally designed space camera, which can capture pictures of objects as small as 50cm in length.
Orbiting at a lower altitude also poses significant challenges, such as atmospheric drag, which can slow down the satellite and cause it to re-enter the Earth's atmosphere within days. To overcome this, the Elite satellite will be equipped with a novel and fuel-efficient engine built by Aliena, an NTU deep-tech spin-off.
Aliena’s chief executive Mark Lim said, “The engine needs to deliver a significant amount of thrust with lower power to ensure that we can continue firing the satellite to compensate for drag without bleeding out the batteries.
“You can rapidly fire your engines during unexpected events like severe geomagnetic storms, which could result in the decrease in the altitude of the spacecraft quickly.”
The launch of the Elite satellite is a significant achievement for Singapore's space industry, which has been growing steadily over the years. The country has launched more than 30 satellites since 2011 and is home to more than 60 local and international space-tech firms, with a combined total of over 2,000 professionals and researchers.
