Dignitaries signing VNREDSat 1b agreement. Photo: Spacebel

[Via Satellite 01-21-2014] Belgium-based Spacebel has agreed to supply Vietnam with VNREDSat 1b, an Earth observation system made in Belgium set to launch in 2017.

The satellite will be based on the European Space Agency’s (ESA)PROBA satellite platform, placing the VNREDSat 1b in a Sun-synchronous orbit for five years. This observation mission will allow Vietnam to strengthen its monitoring of natural occurrences such as deforestation, river and maritime pollution, flooding, and the effects of climate change.