VERTECS was featured in the July 2026 issue (No. 544) of ISAS News, published by the JAXA Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (ISAS), in an article titled “Launch of the VERTECS Nanosatellite: The Cosmic Optical Background Observation Mission Begins!”
The article describes the launch of VERTECS from the Tanegashima Space Center aboard the sixth H3 Launch Vehicle (Test Flight No. 30 configuration) at 9:53:59 a.m. Japan Standard Time on June 12, 2026. It also outlines how the satellite reached launch in approximately three years after development began in fiscal year 2022 under the JAXA-SMASH Program, progressing through concept studies and the breadboard, engineering, and flight model development and testing phases.
The article also reports that the team successfully received a signal and confirmed housekeeping data during the first pass after launch. S-band operations are being conducted with the ISAS Sagamihara Campus as the primary ground station and Kyushu Institute of Technology as the secondary station. Routine observation operations are planned to continue for more than one year, with shifts staffed by members including students from Kwansei Gakuin University, Tokyo City University, and Kyushu Institute of Technology.
Related Link
ISAS News, July 2026, No. 544 (Japanese only)
https://www.isas.jaxa.jp/outreach/isas_news/files/ISASnews544.pdf