On August 5, Chinese aerospace company Star Vision will launch the Samarkand-2028 hyperspectral Earth-observation satellite from a sea-based launch platform off the coast of China's Shandong Province. The Space Research and Technology Agency of Uzbekistan (Uzcosmos) announced that the launch window is scheduled between 7:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m. Tashkent time. The Lampung-1 satellite will be deployed during the same mission.
The Samarkand-2028 satellite features an on-board artificial intelligence module developed by Uzcosmos experts. This unit enables edge computing by processing hyperspectral data directly in orbit, significantly accelerating data turnaround and boosting the efficiency of remote sensing operations.
The Ministry of Digital Technologies' press service reported that the gathered data will support key sectors, including precision agriculture, environmental monitoring, and natural resource management. The launch vehicle carrying the satellites is already secured aboard the launch vessel en route to the deployment site.
Plans for this joint Uzbek-Chinese remote sensing mission were first unveiled in November 2025, following a strategic memorandum signed between Uzcosmos and Star Vision. The satellite was named Samarkand-2028 to commemorate Uzbekistan's selection as the host nation for the 2028 International Astronautical Congress (IAC) in Samarkand.
Uzbekistan is concurrently working toward launching its first 6U-format scientific satellite by 2028, named after the historic astronomer-king Mirzo Ulugbek. Plans to send the country's first national astronaut into space are also currently under development.
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