Research nanosatellite released by astronauts from ISS

A tiny Peruvian research satellite was released by the astronauts from the International Space Station. This device developed by the National University of Engineering in Lima aims at monitoring the atmospheric pressure and temperature of the earth.

Two spacewalkers from the Expedition 40, Flight engineers Oleg Artemyev and Aleksandr Skvortsov, deployed this nanosatellite satellite named Chasqui. The name Chasqui was kept after the highly trained Inca runners who were part of the Incan Empire.

As Artemiev released the satellite when the ISS streamed 260 miles over a cloud-patched sky someone from the ground in Russian counted down "One, two, three".

"The operation is simple enough: when we egress into the open space, Alexander will hand the satellite over to me and I shall let it float", said Artemiev. It took less than 30 minutes for Chasqui to clear of the orbiting laboratory and fly freely on its own.

The other astronaut Skvortsov captured how the satellite fell away from the space station in his helmet's camera. The entire spacewalk lasted five hours and 11 minutes and the whole of the mission ended at 3:13 p. m. EDT.

This whole project was a joint move of the Russian Federal Space Agency and the Peruvian government.

For the National University of Engineering in Lima, who developed Chasqui, the project was more like a technological learning experience. Earlier this year, this nanosatellite was delivered to the ISS through a Russian cargo ship.

Along with setting the nanosatellite in the space, the two astronauts also carried out the maintenance on the ISS during the spacewalk.