By Tim Kelly
TOKYO (Reuters) – Myanmar’s first satellite is held aboard the International Space Station after Myanmar’s coup, while Japanspace agency and a Japanese university decide what to do with it, two Japanuniversity officials said ese.
The $ 15 million satellite was built by JapanHokkaido University in a joint project with Myanmar University of Aerospace Engineering (MAEU), funded by the Myanmar government. This is the first of a set of two 50 kg microsatellites equipped with cameras designed to monitor agriculture and fishing.
Human rights activists and some officials inside Japan concerns that these cameras could be used for armed purposes by the junta that seized power in Myanmar on February 1.
That has put off the practice, as the University of Hokkaido is in talks with the Japan The Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) said two Hokkaido University officials said.
“We will not engage in anything military-related. The satellite was not designed for that, ”one of the officers, the project manager, told Reuters, asking not to be identified.
“We’re talking about what should be done, but we don’t know when it will be used. If it is stopped, we hope the project can be restarted at some point. ”
The manager did not say when the satellite should be used, or when a decision with JAXA had to either go ahead or delay it.
A second official from Hokkaido University said the contract with MAEU did not specify that the satellite could not be used for military purposes. However, data from the spacecraft would be collected by the Japanis a university and Myanmar officials cannot access it independently, the second official said.
Since the coup, university officials have been unable to contact the MAEU rector, Professor Kyi Thwin, a second official added.
Officials at JAXA could not be reached for comment. MAEU did not respond to calls seeking comment, and no spokesman for Myanmar junta said.
The satellite was launched by NASA on Feb. 20 as part of a large and diversified payload of supplies to the International Space Station 400 km (250 miles) above ground. It has since been held by JAXA JapanKibo test module. JAXA astronaut Soichi Noguchi is one of seven crew members now aboard the space station.
Japan it has close ties to Myanmar and is one of the largest donors of aid. Although he criticizes the violence, he has not taken as hard a stand against the cup as the United States and some other Western countries that have imposed sanctions.
Although the spacecraft was not built to military specifications, Teppei Kasai, Asia program officer for Human Rights Guards, said it would be easy for Myanmar military commanders to use the technology for the use of weapons.
“So involved JapanThese universities should cancel the project and immediately review for human rights threats, ”said Kasai.
(Reporting by Tim Kelly; Editing by Peter Graff)
The International Space Station (ISS) was built by members of the Expedition 56 crew from the Soyuz spacecraft after their sinking, October 4, 2018. NASA astronauts Andrew Feustel and Ricky Arnold and Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Artemyev flew around the orbiting laboratory to take pictures of the station before returning home after spending 197 days in space. Photo taken October 4, 2018. NASA / Roscosmos / Handout via REUTERS
Anti-coup demonstrator showers fire extinguisher while running away from barricade at protests in Yangon, Myanmar, March 9, 2021. REUTERS / Stringer