Launched on June 12, 2026, the VERTECS nanosatellite has successfully completed its initial operations phase and has now entered routine operations for full-scale astronomical observations.
During initial operations, the VERTECS team sequentially verified the satellite’s power, communications, attitude control, data processing, and observing systems. The satellite was also pointed toward selected regions of the sky, captured visible-light images, and transmitted the resulting data to the ground. These activities confirmed that the satellite and its observing instrument are performing as intended in orbit and are ready for continued astronomical observations.
The first observations captured clear images of the Cygnus Loop, the Lagoon Nebula, and the North America Nebula, revealing numerous stars and extended nebular structures. VERTECS also observed a region in Boötes selected for measurements of visible extragalactic background radiation, confirming the required angular resolution and sensitivity. The main camera covers a 3° × 3° field of view in each wavelength band—an area equivalent to approximately 40 full Moons in a single observation.
VERTECS will now begin its primary science observations of visible extragalactic background radiation, aiming to shed light on the history of star and galaxy formation in the Universe. Over the coming year, the VERTECS team plans to continue satellite operations and observations while accumulating and analyzing the resulting data.
We sincerely thank everyone who has supported the development, launch, and initial operations of VERTECS.
For the first observation images and further details, please see the press releases from Kyushu Institute of Technology, Tokyo City University, Kwansei Gakuin University, Kanazawa University, and The University of Tokyo (in Japanese).