Airbus to work with Vietnam to develop country’s space industry
Airbus and Vietnam’s Ministry of Science and Technology (MoST) have signed a letter of intent (LoI) indicating their plans to work together on several areas of interest in the space sector.
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“Airbus and Vietnam are already partners on the VNREDSat-1 satellite, and with the recently signed LoI, we hope to further support the development of Vietnam’s space industry. The agreement will allow us to continue working together, strengthening our close ties,” Nicolas Chamussy, head of Space Systems, Airbus, said in a statement.
In 2010, Airbus was awarded a contract to develop, manufacture and launch Vietnam’s first Earth observation satellite. VNREDSat-1 was successfully launched in May 2013, enabling Vietnam to better monitor and study the effects of climate change, predict natural disasters and optimize the management of its natural resources.
As part of the VNREDSat-1 program, Airbus and the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology established bilateral cooperation that included academic and on-the-job training programs for Vietnamese engineers, as well as technology transfer.
Airbus has been a partner in the Asian space sector for almost 40 years, supplying space equipment for geostationary and low-orbit spacecraft operators in Japan, Singapore and the Republic of Korea (RoK).
Airbus has also helped launch satellites for Australia, India, Indonesia, Japan and RoK.
With 15 international programs in place, Airbus is the leading exporter of Earth observation satellite systems worldwide and provides turnkey solutions to both civilian space agencies and defense organizations.
Benefiting from decades of experience in the development of satellite systems designed for dual use, the AstroBus-S is ideal for very-high resolution applications, combining the advantages of a low-mass system with the strong performance of a larger platform.
In Vietnam, in addition to the VNREDSat-1 satellite, Airbus has successfully provided solutions for its commercial aircraft, defence and helicopter businesses.
The European manufacturer is also developing its industrial presence in the country, where several local firms supply aerostructures and components across the Airbus civil aircraft product line. This helps generate fulltime employment for 550 highly skilled Vietnamese workers.
In education, the company is supporting the development of two new degree programs at the University of Science and Technology of Hanoi, aimed at helping Vietnam meet its growing requirements for aerospace engineers and professionals.
