Suisen

Suisen (すいせん), also known as Fukui Prefectural Satellite is an Earth observation satellite of the Fukui Satellite Technology & Research Association (FSTRA). It was developed mainly by companies within Fukui Prefecture, Japan. The satellite is named for Fukui's prefectural flower, narcissus.^[1]

Overview

Suisen was developed by a consortium of seven companies, led by Seiren Co., Ltd., and including Axelspace Corporation [ja]. Axelspace previously developed several small satellites, including Hodoyoshi 1 and RAPIS-1. Development began in 2015.^[1]

Residents of Fukui Prefecture were invited to suggest the name for the satellite, and on 10 November 2019, Suisen was revealed as the chosen name.^[2] Fukui Prefecture has used Hometown tax to collect the project's cost.^[3] According to Fukui Prefecture, Suisen is the first case in Japan for a local government to lead a satellite project.^[4][5]

See also

• Community building