Vietnam launched second satellite
VNA - Vietnam ’s second satellite, the VINASAT-2, was successfully sent into orbit from Kourou in Guyana , South America, at 5:13 am on May 16 ( Vietnam time).
After just over 30 minutes, the satellite separated from the Ariane 5 rocket and went into orbit at 131.8 degrees east.
Along with VINASAT-2, a Japanese satellite, the JCSAT-13, was also launched.
Watching the live broadcast of the launch on Vietnam Television’s VTV1 channel, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung said that the new satellite marks a new era for Vietnam ’s information technology and telecommunications industry.
“The Party and State have paid special attention to the VINASAT-1 and VINASAT-2 projects, as they are of great political significance, showing the world that Vietnam has a presence in space,” he added.
Together with the first satellite, which was launched in 2008, VINASAT-2 will help improve the quality of IT telecom services as well as radio and television broadcasts in Vietnam , which will be a great benefit to people in the country’s remote mountainous areas and islands, he said.
According to Dung, the effectiveness of VINASAT-1, which is now running at 90 percent of its capacity, enabled the country to launch its second satellite.
The successful launching of VINASAT-2 is a step forward in efforts to turn Vietnam into a modern IT nation, he said.
The 300 million USD VINASAT-2, built by the US company Lockheed Martin, uses A2100 technology, one of the most modern satellite technologies currently in use and has a lifespan of 15 years.
VINASAT-2 will focus on Ku-band transponders, which provide radio, television and telephone transmissions for the whole country as well as other parts of Southeast Asia.-VNA
