Contract signed for Vietnam’s second satellite

Contract signed for Vietnam’s second satellite
(VOV News) May 12, 2010
The Vietnam Post and Telecommunications Group (VNPT) and the US aeronautical manufacturer - Lockheed Martin Corporation, signed a contract in Hanoi on May 11 to build and launch Vietnam’s second telecom satellite, Vinasat-2. Accordingly, Lockheed Martin will build the satellite and launch it into orbit within 24 months from the date of the contract. With the launch of the US$250 million Vinasat-1in April 2008, Vietnam became the 93rd country in the world and the sixth within the region to have its own satellite in orbit, according to VNPT. So far Vinasat-1 has leased out 80 percent of its capacity and is expected to operate at full capacity by 2011.

Vietnam to build national space centre

Vietnam to build national space centre
(Nhan Dan Vietnam) March 25, 2010
Vietnam will build a National Space Centre to maximize the application of space technology in service of the nation’s socio-economic development. With Japan ’s assistance in design, construction of the US$400 million facility will start within this year at Hanoi ’s Hoa Lac Hi-tech Zone, according to the Vietnam Science and Technology Academy , which oversees the project. By its completion in 2018, the centre will entail a satellite assembly, integration and test facility, a satellite signal transmission station, a research center, a space museum and an observatory, said the project manager, Dr. Pham Anh Tuan.

Vietnam to Launch Second Satellite in 2012

Vietnam PM Approves Plan To Launch Second Telecom Satellite By 2012
Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has agreed in principle to launch the country's second telecommunications satellite by 2012, the government said Monday in a statement. The government said Dung has assigned the state-run Vietnam Posts and Telecoms Group to be the sole investor of the satellite called Vinasat-2. It said the satellite will cost between $290 million and $350 million. "The new satellite is aimed at boosting the development of the country's telecom market," the government said. Vietnam launched its first satellite from a space port in South America in April 2008. The $300 million Vinasat-1, built by U.S. firm Lockheed Martin, is expected to have a lifespan of between 15 and 20 years.