Vietnam prepares to procure 2nd ground observation satellite

Vietnam is preparing to procure a second ground observation satellite, eyeing IAI-Airbus offer similar to the one used by the Peruvian Space Agency. Photo c/o Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology (VAST).

Vietnam is in the market for a military spy satellite, with two groups vying to win the contract expected to be worth hundreds of millions of dollars.

The Vietnamese satellite project, called the 2nd Earth Observation Optical Satellite Project of Vietnam, aims to launch a second Vietnam Natural Resources, Environment and Disaster Monitoring Satellite (VNREDSat-2).

The satellite is expected to include military and civilian components, and has a requirement to have a resolution of up to 50 centimeters.

Israel Defense, a leading online defense publication in Israel, reported that a team composed of Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI) and Airbus, was said to have been selected by the Vietnamese Government.

The IAI-Airbus team competed against an offer made by Thales.

The French Government is said to be brokering a deal between Airbus and Thales to allow splitting the contract for both defense giants.

Vietnam has an existing satellite called the VNREDSat-1, which was supplied by Airbus and was launched into space using VEGA boosters from the Kourou launch site in French Guyana on May 2013.




[1] Israel Defense
[2] Space Tech Asia
[3] Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology