JERUSALEM, Feb. 21 (Xinhua) -- Israel has launched a research nanosatellite into space, Tel Aviv University (TAU) in central Israel said on Sunday.
The miniature satellite, named TAU-SAT1, is the first to be designed, assembled and tested on an Israeli campus.
It was launched into orbit on Saturday evening(Israel local time)from the NASA launch facility in Virginia, the United States.
The nanosatellite will measure cosmic radiation around Earth, as the scientific information will be collected in space by detectors developed at Israel's Soreq Nuclear Research Center (SNRC).
This data will help design better protective gear for astronauts and space systems from space radiation that originates from the sun, TAU said.
The nanosatellite will orbit the earth at a speed of 27,600 km per hour, completing one orbit every 90 minutes.
Its dimensions are 10 by 10 by 30 cm, and it weighs less than 2.5 kg.
TAU completed the construction of TAU-SAT1 about four months ago, sending it for pre-flight testing at the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).
The satellite, expected to be active for several months, will also serve as a space relay station for amateur radio communities around the world. Enditem