A "Made by Vietnam" satellite will be launched in December 2018.
The MicroDragon satellite, built and developed by the Vietnam Space Center with support from Japan, will be launched into space in December 2018, marking a new step forward in Vietnam's mastery of small satellite manufacturing technology.
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| The MicroDragon satellite has been completed and is ready for launch into space. Photo: VNSC |
According to Vu Anh Tuan, Deputy Director General of the Vietnam Space Center, this is a key national project fulfilling the tasks set out in the "Strategy for Research and Application of Space Technology to 2020". The project utilizes preferential ODA funding from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) in collaboration with the Vietnam Space Center (Vietnam Academy of Science) and was approved by the Prime Minister in 2006.
After 7 years of implementation, the Project has upgraded and established a system for warning and mitigating the impacts of climate change and natural disasters, managing natural resources and monitoring the environment, contributing to socio-economic development and ensuring national security through the development of the National Space Center infrastructure, and the development and transfer of technology for manufacturing earth observation satellites.
The project selected the use of high-resolution Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellites along with a ground station system for receiving, processing, and applying satellite imagery data. SAR satellite systems are active sensor-based remote sensing systems with many advantages. Because Vietnam controls the satellites, it can proactively collect information and increase monitoring frequency.
The project's Earth observation satellite system is used as a means to support disaster prevention and mitigation, climate change adaptation, and natural resource management.
This system will ensure Earth observation in emergency disaster situations under all weather and climate conditions; build and process satellite data for monitoring and early warning of natural disasters and environmental catastrophes; provide early forecasts of agricultural yields and marine resources; update electronic mapping systems for land management and planning; and research and combat global climate change.
To date, the project has completed 90% of the construction items for the Vietnam Space Center in Hoa Lac High-Tech Park, funded by the project's counterpart funds, and is expected to be completed in 2019. According to the plan, the MicroDragon satellite will be launched into space in December 2018 with support from Japan.