Uzbekistan set to launch its first 6U scientific satellite
Uzbekistan began building an engineering corps and training specialists to develop the country’s first 6U national scientific satellite project, Mirzo Ulugbek, to be launched in 2028, Qazinform News Agency reports.
Parallel work is underway to prepare Uzbekistan’s first national astronaut, with mission planned to last 10–14 days.
Among the proposed research areas during the mission are medicine and biology, including remote diagnostics, testing effectiveness of local medicinal extracts, plant genetics focusing on drought- and salt-resistant varieties, modeling closed agro-biosystems and materials science embracing testing fabrics and fibers for heat accumulation and dissipation.
Uzbekistan is also considering holding the International Astronautical Congress in Samarkand in 2028. Major space organizations from the U.S., Europe, China, India, Russia, and others have already expressed interest in the gathering.
Earlier, Proton-M rocket with weather satellite successfully launched from Kazakhstan's Baikonur.