# MicroDragon microsatellite bus
*bus . products*

Mission-specific 50.5 kg microsatellite platform used by MicroDragon, with JAXA noting on-orbit verification of improvements from the Hodoyoshi bus lineage.

## Specifications
- **product status**: retired
- **deployment context**: orbital
- **manufacturer**: vnsc
- **bus**: {"form_factor":"50 x 50 x 50 cm microsatellite bus","platform_class":"micro"}
- **design heritage**: {"lineage":["Hodoyoshi bus"],"notes":"JAXA describes MicroDragon as verifying improvements from the Hodoyoshi bus."}
- **entity type**: bus
- **last verified date**: 2026-06-26
- **verified by**: agency-doc
- **claim status**: agency-sourced
- **provider**: vnsc
- **attributes**: {"kind":"bus","product_status":"retired","deployment_context":"orbital","manufacturer":"vnsc","description":"Mission-specific 50.5 kg microsatellite platform used by MicroDragon, with JAXA noting on-orbit verification of improvements from the Hodoyoshi bus lineage.","bus":"{\"form_factor\":\"50 x 50 x 50 cm microsatellite bus\",\"platform_class\":\"micro\"}","design_heritage":"{\"lineage\":[\"Hodoyoshi bus\"],\"notes\":\"JAXA describes MicroDragon as verifying improvements from the Hodoyoshi bus.\"}"}
- **relevance**: in-scope

## Editorial
MicroDragon microsatellite bus is a 50 x 50 x 50 cm platform used for an Earth-observation microsatellite selected under JAXA Innovative Satellite Technology Demonstration-1.[^jaxa-kakushin-1] VNSC participated as the Vietnam implementer, with Keio University holding the responsible-organisation role for the demonstration activity.[^jaxa-kakushin-1] The spacecraft mass is 50.5 kg, placing the bus in the micro platform class.[^jaxa-kakushin-1] The design heritage traces to the Hodoyoshi bus, with on-orbit verification of improvements including FOG as a MicroDragon objective.[^jaxa-kakushin-1] The mission context includes ocean-colour remote sensing and aerosol polarisation remote sensing.[^jaxa-kakushin-1]

## Compositional position
- microdragon (missions) --[mission_buses]--> MicroDragon microsatellite bus

## Sources
- [jaxa-kakushin-1] | Innovative Satellite Technology Demonstration-1, JAXA Research and Development Directorate | https://www.kenkai.jaxa.jp/kakushin/kakushin01.html | tier=agency-doc | accessed=2026-06-26

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Source: https://eo-atlas.org/products/bus/microdragon-bus
Maintainer: SpectraWorks B.V. (CC-BY 4.0)