Croatia has achieved a milestone in its space exploration journey, as its first satellite, CroCube, has transmitted the country’s first-ever image from orbit. The satellite, launched into space aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on December 26, captured an image of Croatia’s Mediterranean coastline, featuring crystal blue waters and scenic coastlines.
The team behind the mission successfully identified land and mountain ranges through the cloud-covered outline. This achievement marks a significant milestone for Croatia, as it becomes one of the countries to have its own satellite images taken from orbit.
CroCube also sent back a short video and another image showing Bulgaria’s coastline on the Black Sea. The $124,000 project, funded by the Croatian Society for Education Outside the Box and Czech company Spacemanic, aims to promote interest in astronomy and space exploration in Croatia, while gathering data using onboard sensors.
The satellite will remain in orbit for approximately 5 years, gradually spiraling back towards Earth before burning up in the atmosphere. Fans of CroCube can interact with its data and images through a mobile app that displays freshly downloaded images.
Source: https://www.space.com/space-exploration/satellites/croatias-1st-satellite-captures-its-first-views-of-home-photo