Singapore: First climate satellite to be launched in 2015

Singapore is about to launch its first climate satellite, the VELOX-CI, by the fourth quarter of 2015. This is according to Nanyang Technological University (NTU), the institution in charge of the project. The satellite is funded by the Singapore’s Economic Development Board and it will be used to study tropical climates.

The 130kg satellite is about the size of a mini-fridge. It will adopt some of the technologies of the satellites VELOX-PII and VELOX-I. Both of them had been constructed by NTU students and research staff.

Using a technique known as radio occultation and advanced algorithms, VELOX-CI will be able to obtain weather data such as upper atmospheric temperature, humidity and pressure, which are useful for long-term climate studies.