Arianespace Receives Vietnamese Government Approval to Launch Third Satellite on Vega

The Vietnamese Government has approved a plan to launch its first remote sensing satellite VNREDSat-1A on Arianespace’s Vega rocket from the European Guiana Space Center in South America, Deputy director of the Vietnamese Institute of Space Technology Bui Trong Tuyen confirmed the agreement.

VNREDSat-1A will be Vietnam’s third overall satellite, following Vinasat-1 and Vinasat-2 in 2008 and 2012, respectively.
 

NewSat Secures All Required Funding for Jabiru-1 Satellite

NewSat announced it has secured approximately $108 million in required equity for its Jabiru-1 satellite, which takes it one step closer to finally launching after being deferred from its scheduled launch in mid 2012. The company has now obtained all $628.2 million required for a-mid 2015 launch.

Jabiru-1 will be a hybrid Ku- and Ka-band satellite, which is expected to deliver coverage through South-East Asia, the Middle East, and North Africa. Lockheed Martin has already started construction for this spacecraft and a preliminary design review has been completed. The next stage of the project will be the critical design review.

NewSat has signed many deals, with companies ranging from Pakistani telecommunications companies to satellite operators to the U.S. military for capacity on the satellite over the past 15 years. According to reports, the total value of the deals to date is $454 million and the company is still in the process of selling additional capacity on the Jabiru-1.