LOTUSat-1, Vietnam’s first ever indigenous weather satellite, is expected to be launched into orbit from December 2024 to February 2025, according to the Vietnam National Satellite Centre (VNSC) at the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology (VAST).

LOTUSat-1, Vietnam’s first ever indigenous weather satellite, is expected to be launched into orbit from December 2024 to February 2025, according to the Vietnam National Satellite Centre (VNSC) at the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology (VAST). 

VNSC Deputy General Director Le Xuan Huy said the 570kg satellite is expected to be completed in May, with an image resolution of one metre.

Huy said radar satellites can take pictures in all weather conditions, cloudy, foggy or low-light, adding the ground control system for the launch will be completed by September this year at the Hoa Lac hi-tech park.

In 2019, the VNSC and Japan’s Sumitomo Corp. cooperated to implement the project "LOTUSat-1 satellite, equipment and human resources training", using official development assistance (ODA) loans from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

In addition to satellite development, there have been classes to transfer radar satellite image processing technology to prepare technology and human resources for the launch, Huy said.

According to the VAST’s Space Technology Institute, Vietnam’s first remote sensing satellite, the VNREDSat-1, has been operating effectively since it was launched in 2013.

The 120-kg satellite has run for 10 straight years to assist Vietnam in addressing challenges in forest and water resources management, disaster management, urban mapping and planning, national defence and security, and coastal zone management./.