The development and construction of a Vietnamese-manufactured satellite is poised to begin later this year, with its launch into orbit set for 2018, according to the Vietnam National Satellite Center (VNSC).

Work on the Vietnamese satellite, named MicroDragon, will officially start in September of this year with completion anticipated for September next year before being sent into space in 2018, using an Epsilon rocket manufactured by Japanese firm IHI Aerospace.

The launch is supported by Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s (JAXA) programs that aim to provide support for Earth observation satellites for training purposes in developing countries.

The MicroDragon, measuring only 50x50x50 centimeters and weighing 50 kilograms, will be developed by young engineers at the VNSC with the assistance of Japanese professors, said Pham Anh Tuan, director of the national satellite center.

The initiative aims to provide a system for monitoring the quality of water in coastal areas, locate fishery resources, and observe changes in the ocean to assist the nation’s aquaculture, Tuan explained.

The satellite will also be able to measure cloud coverage and the characteristics of aerosols to serve atmospheric correction, the director said, adding that it could collect signals from sensors on the ground and transfer them to different locations on Earth to help monitor different environmental situations.

In addition, the MicroDragon’s construction will experiment with new modern material technology, namely Atomic oxygen and an Antimony Tin Oxide Coating Solar cell, according to Tuan.

Following the success of the PicoDragon satellite, the VNSC sent 36 engineers to five of Japan’s leading universities for master’s programs in satellite engineering to help them advance their knowledge in the field while directly designing, making, and testing the MicroDragon, Tuan said.

The development process for the PicoDragon, including the research, manufacture, integration, and testing phases, was performed entirely in Vietnam before it was launched in 2013, according to the VNSC. 

Putting the MicroDragon into operation in 2018, with the support of the JAXA, will be a milestone in Vietnam’s effort to obtain autonomy in satellite technology, the Vietnamese director asserted.

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