The satellite was designed and built at the Kyushu Institute of Technology in Japan and is 1,000 cubic centimetres in size and weighs 1.1 kilogrammes. Local media reports said RAAVANA-1 was officially handed over to the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency on February 18.The satellite would be sent to the International Space Station on April 17, through the assistance of Cygnus-1, a spacecraft from the US.

The satellite is expected to fulfil five missions, including the capturing of pictures of Sri Lanka and its surrounding regions. RAAVANA-1 is expected to orbit 400 kilometres away from earth. It will have a minimum lifespan of one-and-half years.