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The Vietnam News

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[Year 2001]

Vietnam, Russia boost space cooperation

HANOI - Vietnam-Russia telecom cooperation began in the 1980s, when the former Soviet Union helped Vietnam build a Hoa Sen [Lotus] ground satellite station and joined Vietnamese scientists in the study of photography from outer space. In its on-going renewal process, Vietnam has also received technical support from Russia for building a modern telecom network, comprising satellite communications, in support of economic development.

Prof. Valery Resetnicov from the Russian Science Academy said that his academy and Vietnam's National Centre for Natural Sciences and Technologies have completed a project "Concept of Building and Developing Satellite Communications in Vietnam." "This is one of the core projects for building a national research programme on satellite telecom development (Vinasat), started in 1998," the professor said. Prof. Resetnicov is in charge of two Vietnam-Russia cooperation projects developing satellite telecommunications and earth research from outer space known respectively as Vinasat and Vinzor. The Vinasat project is under way with the involvement of numerous Vietnamese and Russian institutes, including Russia's top telecom satllite producer - the M. Resetnicov Science-manufacture Union - which joined the project in 2000. Vinasat will allow Vietnam to study, produce and launch telecom satellites serving radio and television broadcasts as well as telephone and Internet links.

Under the Vinasat project, photographic and monitoring satellites will also be studied to serve economic development by providing weather forecasts and oil spill and river and lake surface pollution reports. Projected satellites are expected to aid the assessment of, among other issues, forest status-quo, forest land, urbanization, and natural resources. Vietnam is also studying the possibility of launching a commercial satellite in its efforts to be free from subscribing to foreign satellite channels.

According to Prof Resetnicov, a telecom satellite containing 28-30 converters can be launched as a stationary satellite orbiting about 30,000 km from the earth. A Russian-made rocket missile, "Proton", viewed as the most effective rocket missile in the world, would launch the satellite. In addition, Russia can join Vietnam in establishing a centre for satellite control and communication transmission in Vietnam or building another satellite control in Russia at Vietnam's request, proposed the professor.

Vietnam News Agency - December 18, 2001.