ПРОГРАМИ
en de ru fr es sr gr al tr ro
Podcast in English
Share
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2025 All Rights Reserved

Bulgarian satellite Balkan-1 has been launched into space from base in USA

The satellite is a development of the Bulgarian company EnduroSat
Photo: БТА

The Bulgarian satellite Balkan-1 has been launched into Earth orbit to transmit data for the EU's Copernicus programme. The satellite is a development of the Bulgarian company EnduroSat and was launched into space from the Vandenberg Space Force Base in Santa Barbara, California, onboard a SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket. 

The mission was monitored online at the Naval Postgraduate School Planetarium in Varna. 

The satellite is part of the EU's major space programme, which aims to explore various features of the Earth. It can monitor maritime areas and ships, provide disaster relief, land mapping, coastal monitoring and strategic infrastructure. 

On board the satellite there is a multispectral sensor detecting the content of various chemicals and elements in water and soil, monitoring their quality, analyzing the level of various pollutants and microplastic content. 

This is the first all-Bulgarian satellite with a scientific and security function, Lyubomir Toshev from the Bulgarian company explained to BTA. So far, the company has launched dozens of other satellites, but they have commercial purposes. 
"Balkan-1 is a 32 kg nanosatellite and its sensor has a resolution whose pixel corresponds to 1.5 meters of the Earth's surface. It orbits 500 km above the Earth. It has a planned lifetime of five years, after which it is intended to burn up in the stratosphere to avoid creating space debris, Toshev added.

Последвайте ни и в Google News Showcase, за да научите най-важното от деня!
Listen to the daily news from Bulgaria presented in "Bulgaria Today" podcast, available in Spotify.
Radio Bulgaria News    Balkan-1 Copernicus programme Earth EnduroSat Lyubomir Toshev nanosatellite satellite space

More from category

International conference on Bulgarians in the Northern Black Sea Region brings together scientists from Bulgaria, Ukraine and Moldova

The international scientific conference “Bulgarians in the Northern Black Sea Region” will be held in Sofia on October 27 and 28, 2025 in the Institute of Ethnology and Folklore with Ethnographic Museum at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Prof...

published on 10/25/25 5:00 AM

Kozloduy NPP Unit 6 shuts down for annual maintenance

The annual planned maintenance of Kozloduy NPP Unit 6 starts today and is expected to last until early December, the nuclear power plant has announced. During the shutdown, technical maintenance of the systems and facilities will be carried out,..

published on 10/24/25 7:45 PM

Rain by the evening, temperatures remain warm for the season

Saturday will start off with lows between 6°C and 11°C, dropping to around 6°C in Sofia. Skies will brighten for a time over northern Bulgaria before turning cloudy again later, with rain moving in by evening and overnight. Cloudy spells are also..

published on 10/24/25 7:05 PM

WEATHER
Pick city: Sofía
Rain
Min: 9 | Max: 16
Partly cloudy, chance of rain
Min: 10 | Max: 19
Partly cloudy, chance of rain
Min: 10 | Max: 18
Rain
Min: 8 | Max: 15
Rain
Min: 12 | Max: 15
Overcast, rain
Min: 7 | Max: 16
Rain
Min: 8 | Max: 14
Cloudy
Min: 7 | Max: 18
Overcast, rain
Min: 8 | Max: 20
Rain
Min: 6 | Max: 15
Scattered showers
Min: 9 | Max: 16
Rain
Min: 9 | Max: 15
Overcast, rain
Min: 6 | Max: 17
Rain
Min: 8 | Max: 13
Overcast, rain
Min: 10 | Max: 16
Overcast, rain
Min: 5 | Max: 17
Partly cloudy, chance of rain
Min: 9 | Max: 15
Partly cloudy, chance of rain
Min: 9 | Max: 16
Cloudy
Min: 10 | Max: 18
Cloudy
Min: 9 | Max: 16
Partly cloudy, chance of rain
Min: 7 | Max: 13
Rain
Min: 8 | Max: 14
Partly cloudy, chance of rain
Min: 5 | Max: 17
Partly cloudy, chance of rain
Min: 7 | Max: 15
Overcast, rain
Min: 7 | Max: 20
Partly cloudy, chance of rain
Min: 5 | Max: 17
Cloudy
Min: 6 | Max: 18
BULGARIA IN PICTURES
Which world-famous Bulgarian artist designed QSL cards for Radio Bulgaria?
Yasen Gyuzelev
Theodore Ushev
Christo Javacheff - Christo
Ilia Peikov
Lika Yanko

BULGARIANS ABROAD

Български English Русский Deutsch Српски Français Ελληνικά Español Shqip Türkçe Română
MOST VIEWED

Rain by the evening, temperatures remain warm for the season

Saturday will start off with lows between 6°C and 11°C, dropping to around 6°C in Sofia. Skies will brighten for a time over northern Bulgaria before..

published on 10/24/25 7:05 PM

Kozloduy NPP Unit 6 shuts down for annual maintenance

The annual planned maintenance of Kozloduy NPP Unit 6 starts today and is expected to last until early December, the nuclear power plant has announced...

published on 10/24/25 7:45 PM

International conference on Bulgarians in the Northern Black Sea Region brings together scientists from Bulgaria, Ukraine and Moldova

The international scientific conference “Bulgarians in the Northern Black Sea Region” will be held in Sofia on October 27 and 28, 2025 in the Institute..

published on 10/25/25 5:00 AM

english@bnr.bg

+359 2 9336 661

Общи условия за използване на сайта | Политика за поверителност | Политика за "бисквитки"