A Bulgarian-made satellite, Balkan-1, has successfully been launched into space, marking a significant achievement for the country’s space industry. The satellite, developed by EnduroSat, was carried into orbit aboard SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket from the Vandenberg Air Force Base in Santa Barbara, California. The launch was streamed live at the Planetarium of the Nikola Y. Vaptsarov Naval Academy in Varna, Bulgaria.

Balkan-1 is designed to contribute to the European Union's Copernicus program, which focuses on gathering data of national and regional importance. Lyubomir Toshev, a software architect at Endurosat, explained that the satellite will monitor marine environments, track ships, assist in disaster management, map land areas, and monitor coastal regions and strategic infrastructure. The satellite’s primary goal is to enhance security through detailed data collection.

Equipped with a multispectral sensor, Balkan-1 can monitor both land and water bodies in several spectral bands. This capability allows it to analyze the content of chemicals and elements in the environment, assess water and soil quality, and track pollutants such as microplastics. Toshev noted that this is the first entirely Bulgarian satellite with a scientific and security-oriented mission, distinguishing it from other commercial satellites previously launched by Endurosat.

Weighing 32 kilograms, Balkan-1 orbits the Earth at an altitude of 500 kilometers. Its sensor offers a resolution where each pixel corresponds to a 1.5-meter section of the Earth's surface. The satellite has a planned lifespan of five years, after which it will re-enter the atmosphere and burn up, avoiding the creation of space debris. Balkan-1 is part of the EU's Copernicus program, which aims to monitor and study the Earth’s various characteristics. The satellite was selected after a competitive process, with all systems being manufactured in Bulgaria, except for the multispectral sensor.

What sets Balkan-1 apart is its advanced data-processing capabilities. It employs artificial intelligence to process information, ensuring that valuable insights are delivered to Earth efficiently. Endurosat has developed the satellite with the necessary technology to meet its mission’s goals for the next five years.

This launch was one of several missions carried out by Endurosat using Falcon 9 rockets, which are reused for multiple launches. Along with Balkan-1, 135 other satellites were deployed into orbit as part of this mission.

To celebrate the launch, an exhibition at the VVMU planetarium in Varna showcases data collected by other Endurosat satellites, including images from Antarctica, the Sahara, and the Bahamas. Looking ahead, EnduroSat plans to establish a constellation of 120 Balkan satellites, which will offer comprehensive Earth surveillance capabilities.

Source: Nova TV