Vietnam’s first remote sensing satellite marks decade in orbit
After a decade, Vietnam’s first remote sensing satellite, the VNREDSat-1, has completed 53,000 rounds around the Earth, totaling 2.4 billion km, it was announced at a ceremony in Hanoi on May 16 to celebrate the 10th anniversary since its launch into space.
Hanoi (VNA) – After a decade, Vietnam’s first remotesensing satellite, the VNREDSat-1, has completed 53,000 rounds around the Earth, totaling 2.4 billion km, it was announced at a ceremony in Hanoi on May 16 to celebratethe 10th anniversary since its launch into space.
The event was co-organised by the Vietnam Academy of Scienceand Technology (VAST), the French Embassy in Vietnam, and European multinationalaerospace corporation Airbus.
In his opening remarks, VAST President Chau Van Minh affirmed thelaunch of the French-funded spacecraft into orbit on May 7, 2013, was animportant milestone in implementing Vietnam’s space technology developmentstrategy, a result of the close cooperation between VAST and Airbus, and asymbol of the Vietnam – France friendship.
According to Bui Trong Tuyen, Director of VAST’s SpaceTechnology Institute, the satellite has provided nearly 160,000 images across the territorialland and waters of Vietnam and around the world. Designed to operate in five years, the 120-kg satellite hasrun for 10 straight years to assist Vietnam in addressing challenges in forestand water resources management, disaster management, urban mapping andplanning, national defence and security, and coastal zone management.
CEO of Airbus Vietnam Hoang Tri Mai said the group is proudto be a partner of Vietnam in the important space project and hopes to accompany the nation in its future space development journey.
French Ambassador Nicolas Warnery said VNREDSat-1 is a typicalexample of successful cooperation in space and satellite between the Vietnameseand French governments.
France looks forward to expanding the bilateral ties in thisstrategic area, sharing skills and expertise via training young scientists andresearchers, and transferring technology to Vietnam so that the Southeast Asiannation can establish an integrated space industry./.
Airbus will work with Vietnam to develop the country’s space industry following a letter of intent inked recently between the company and the Ministry of Science and Technology.
A research project by the Department of National Remote Sensing under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MoNRE) has for the first time used images provided by VNREDSat-1, Vietnam’s very first remote sensing satellite, in calculating carbon dioxide emissions.
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Scientists of the Space Technology Institute under the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology and other Vietnamese experts have successfully restored the system control servers and enabled VNREDSat-1, Vietnam’s first remote sensing satellite, to take pictures again from April 4, according to the academy.
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An image captured by VNREDSat-1 
