From big to small satellites

The Ariane5 missile of Arianespace finished its journey to put Vietnam’s Vinasat 1 satellite into orbit at 5.17am, April 19, 2008, marking a historic moment of Vietnam’s integration into space.

After the successful launching of Vinasat 1, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung affirmed that this satellite was a significant bridge of communication between Vietnam and the world. Vietnam became the 93rd country in the world and the 6th in the region to have its own satellite.

Experts say that Vinasat 1 announced Vietnam’s space presence but this was a commercial satellite manufactured in the US. Along with the launch of Vinasat 1, the aspiration to own space technology also burnt.

Also in 2008, the Institute for Science and Technology under the Ministry of Science and Technology released a feasibility research report on a second satellite project named VNDREDSat1. The PM agreed in principle to the implementation of this project.

At the 15th Asia-Pacific Space Forum in late 2008, Vietnam announced this project. Accordingly, VNDREDSat1 is a small satellite, weighing 150kg, which will serve scientific research, management of natural resources, the environment and natural calamities.

Vietnam to launch 2nd satellite in 2012

In June 2006, the government approved the Strategy on Research and Application of Space Technology to 2020. According to Deputy Minister of Science and Technology Le Dinh Tien, space technology has been applied in telecom, hydrometeorology, and remote sensing in Vietnam. However, the application is still modest.

The Chairman of the Space Science and Technology Programme, Prof. Nguyen Khoa Son, said VNDREDSat1 is the most practical step to developing space technology in Vietnam.

VNDREDSat1 is a small-sized earth observation satellite, a proposed 150 kilogrammes in weight with a five-year life expectancy. The satellite is scheduled to be operational in 2012 and will be used to help Vietnam map its natural resources and provide information about the environment and disasters. The total investment for this project is around US$70 million, from official development assistance (ODA). In January 2009, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung agreed that France would be the provider of technology and ODA for this project.

The small satellite is expected to help Vietnam save a lot of money. At present, Vietnam has to buy photos taken by foreign satellites to serve natural calamity forecasts, which cost thousands of USD per picture.

Besides this satellite project, a $305 million space technology centre is being built on 9ha of land inside the Hoa Lac hi-tech park, funded by ODA capital. The project has three parts: human resource training, building technical infrastructure, and technology transfer.