[Satellite TODAY 08-02-10] Astrium won a contract worth 55.2 million euros ($72 million) from the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology (VAST) to manufacture and launch an Earth observation optical satellite system, Astrium announced Aug. 2.
     The satellite, dubbed the Vietnam Natural Resources, Environment and Disaster Monitoring Satellite (VNREDSat-1), will be capable of capturing images with a resolution of 2.5 meters, and Astrium also will provide the associated ground control, image receiving and processing stations, which will be integrated in Vietnam’s Environment and Natural Resources Monitoring System monitoring station, a multi-satellite ground facility operated by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment.
     The contract follows an intergovernmental agreement on space cooperation signed in November between France and Vietnam. The deal includes a cooperation and training program for 15 Vietnamese engineers that will help build the satellite.