Microsatellite VNREDSat-1, which was launched into orbit on May 7, 2013, separated from VESPA cargo hold of the VEGA rocket. The second satellite VNREDSat-1B, developed by three Belgium companies, is expected to be launched in 2017. Photo courtesy of VAST

HA NOI (Biz Hub) — Viet Nam and Belgium signed several contracts on January 20 in the presence of Vietnam's Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai and his Belgian counterpart Johan Vande Lanotte.

The agreements, signed at the Government Office, include a commercial contract for the supply of a microsatellite for geospace observation called Vietnam Natural Resources Environment Disaster monitoring satellite (VNREDSat-1B). The satellite, which is expected to be launched in 2017, has been developed by three Belgian companies: Spacebel, Qinetiq Space and Amos.

The microsatellite was originally developed by PROBA (Project for On-Board Autonomy), a technology demonstration mission of the European Space Agency. During its lifetime of a minimum of five years, VNREDSat-1B will take hyper-spectral and panchromatic images of Viet Nam and the rest of the world within a swathe of 100 kilometres, monitor agricultural activities, forests, the quality of inland and coastal waters and urban surfaces, and also contribute to the study of climate change.

With a volume of 865mm x 679mm x 654mm and a mass of about 130 kg, the microsatellite is expected to fly on a sun-synchronous orbit with a revisit time of five days. Facilities for receiving data, control and image treatment are to be installed in Hoa Lac hi-tech park, which is 30 kilometres from the city centre.

The project is also an important part of technology transfer relating to education, software and laboratories.

After this project, other ones using applications of hyper-spectral imaging can be set up in the framework of national or international, bilateral or multilateral financed programmes such as the United Nations Collaborative Programme on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (UN REDD).

Belgium's Deputy Prime Minister cum Minister of Economic Affairs Johan Vande Lanotte is paying an official visit to Viet Nam from January 18-22 at the invitation of Vietnam's Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai. — VNS