Three satellites were developed during the Birds-2 program: BHUTAN-1 (Bhutan), UiTMSAT-1 (Malaysia) and Maya-1 (Philippines). BHUTAN-1 was designed by Bhutanese graduate students who were pursuing their master's degree at Kyutech (Kyushu Institute of Technology).[6] The satellite was developed under the Kyushu Institute of Technology-led second Joint Global Multi-nations Birds Satellite (Birds-2).[7]
The designing and testing of BHUTAN-1 began by March 2017. The functions of each sub-system of the satellite was verified before the first engineering model of BHUTAN-1 was built in June of the same year. By October 2017, the second engineering model was completed and the development of the flight module commenced.[5]
The satellite operated at an altitude of around 400 km (decaying to lower orbit as time passed) and passed over Bhutan for three to four minutes four to five times per day. Its designed lifespan was six to nine months, though theoretically it could last up to two years. BHUTAN-1's two cameras captured satellite imagery of Bhutan to help assess the country's glaciers, lakes, and forest cover. It also provided basic communication services and was used to study radiation effects on satellites.[6] While BHUTAN-1 was built solely by the Bhutanese, the satellite was jointly controlled and operated by the Bhutan, Malaysia, and Philippines.[7]
Launches are separated by dots ( • ), payloads by commas ( , ), multiple names for the same satellite by slashes ( / ). Crewed flights are underlined. Launch failures are marked with the † sign. Payloads deployed from other spacecraft are (enclosed in parentheses).