Military Regime Coup, Japan Holds Myanmar's First Satellite In Space

International space station. (Wikimedia Commons / NASA)

JAKARTA - Myanmar's first satellite was detained aboard the International Space Station after the military regime's coup on February 1. Japan 's interagency agency and related universities have yet to decide what to do next, said two Japanese university officials.

The $ 15 million satellite was built by Japan's Hokkaido University in a joint project with Myanmar's government-funded Aerospace Engineering University (MAEU). It is the first of a set of two 50 kg microsatellites, equipped with a camera designed to monitor agriculture and fisheries.

Human rights activists and some officials in Japan fear the cameras could be used for military purposes by the junta, which seized power in Myanmar on February 1.

"We will not be involved in anything to do with the military. The satellite was not designed for that, ”one of the officials, the project manager, told Reuters, asking not to be named.

"We are discussing what to do, but we don't know when it will be implemented. If it is stopped, we hope that the project can be restarted someday, "he continued.

The manager did not say when the satellite was intended to be deployed, or when a decision should be made by JAXA to continue or postpone it.

A second Hokkaido University official said the contract with MAEU did not say the satellite could not be used for military purposes. However, data from the spacecraft will be collected by Japanese universities and cannot be accessed independently by Myanmar officials, the second official said.

Since the Myanmar military coup, university officials have been unable to contact the MAEU chancellor, Prof Kyi Thwin, the second official added. Officials at JAXA could not be reached for comment. The MAEU did not respond to calls for comment, nor did a spokesman for the Myanmar regime.

Although the satellite has not yet been built to military specifications, Teppei Kasai, Asia program officer for Human Rights Watch, said it would be easy for Myanmar's military rulers to use the technology for military purposes.

"So the Japanese universities involved should suspend the project and immediately review it for potential human rights risks," said Kasai.

It is known that the Myanmar-owned satellite was launched by NASA on February 20, as a small part of a large and varied payload to supply the International Space Station (ISS) 400 km (250 miles) above the earth. It has since been stored by JAXA in the Japanese Kibo experiment module. JAXA astronaut Soichi Noguchi is one of the seven crew currently aboard the space station.

Japan has close ties to Myanmar and is one of its largest aid donors. Although it condemns violence, it is not as harsh as the United States and several other Western countries that have implemented sanctions against the coup.

Myanmar Coup. The VOI editorial team continues to monitor the political situation in one of the ASEAN member countries. Casualties from civilians continue to fall. Readers can follow the news surrounding the Myanmar military coup by tapping on this link.