State-media reported that Hokkaido University and Tohoku University in Japan, developers of Myanmar’s micro-satellite MMSATS-1 (or Lawkanat-1 in Myanmar), have completed their work on the satellite and transferred it to the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).

The satellite is part of a broader five-year program from 2019 to 2024 that includes the building of two 50kg-class Micro-satellites, a small ground station, a research lab, 14 trainees for technical transfer program and 7 academic personnel under an on-the-job training program. After launching the satellite to the International Space Station in February 2021, it will be launched into Earth orbit in March. Myanmar has scheduled to launch its second micro-satellite, Lawkanat-2 , in September 2023 as part of the same program.

The MMSATS-1 will be used for agriculture, forestry, urban planning, maritime sector, oceanology, exploration of minerals, weather, water sources and the mitigation of large-scale natural disasters.