The Prime Minister asked Japan to promote the satellite launch project in 2025

Lotusat-1, the first radar technology of Vietnam is expected to launch in early 2025. After the satellite testing process, the Japanese government will hand over the management rights to Vietnam to operate for 5 years.

At the seminar with large corporations and businesses of Japan on March 1, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh suggested that the Government and Japanese enterprises continue to pay attention and promote the implementation of key cooperation projects, especially in the field of high technology, iconic in the relationship between the two countries. “Typically like a satellite launch cooperation project in orbit in 2025,” the Prime Minister said.

Lotusat-1 satellite belongs to the project “Prevention of natural disasters and climate change using satellites to observe the Earth”. The project was started in Hoa Lac Hi -Tech Park, Hanoi since September 2012, using ODA capital of Japan and Vietnam’s reciprocal capital.

Lotusat- 1 has a weight of 600 kg, is the latest radar satellite with many advantages such as detecting objects size from 1 m on the ground, the ability to observe all day and night. Lotusat-1 satellite will take photos and provide accurate information to respond to minimizing the impact of natural disasters, climate change, resource management and environmental monitoring.

Different from optical satellites, radar satellites can take photos in all weather conditions, especially when cloudy weather, fog, lack of light. The data provided from this radar satellite will make an important contribution to Vietnam, in the context of a cloudy climate environment.

In order to effectively exploit Lotusat-1 satellite, in November 2023 GS.VS Chau Van Minh, Chairman of Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology (VAST) and Prof. Yamakawa Hiroshi, President of the Japanese Space Agency (Jaxa) signed an agreement to implement feasibility research in scientific cooperation in the field of space technology.

According to this cooperation, the two sides shared the experience of operating Lotusat-1 satellite exploitation in orbit, the experience of operating the Vietnam Space Center and finding a plan to share satellite image data.

Vietnam and Japan have been cooperating in the field of space technology since 2006. Under the support of Jaxa, VAST engineers have researched and manufactured three micro satellites “Made in Vietnam” including Picoden, Nano Dragon and MicroDragon and has been successfully launched by Jaxa in orbit.