Associate Professor Dr. Pham Anh Tuan, General Director of the Vietnam National Space Center (VNSC) under the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, stated that LOTUSat-1 is part of the "Disaster Prevention and Climate Change Response Using Earth Observation Satellites" project. Launched in September 2012 at the Hoa Lac Hi-Tech Park in Hanoi, the project is funded by Japan's ODA and Vietnam's reciprocal capital, with VNSC directly carrying it out.
Weighing 600 kg, LOTUSat-1 is equipped with advanced radar technology, capable of detecting objects as small as 1 meter on the ground and operating both day and night. The satellite will capture high-resolution images and provide precise data to support disaster response, climate change mitigation, resource management, and environmental monitoring.
Unlike optical satellites, radar satellites can capture images in all weather conditions, including cloudy, foggy, and low-light environments. This capability makes LOTUSat-1 particularly valuable for Vietnam, where cloudy weather is frequent.
LOTUSat-1 was manufactured in Japan. During this process, a team of Vietnamese engineers and experts from VNSC was sent to Japan to monitor the entire design, assembly, and testing phases in a simulated environment, from launch to space operation. These were crucial steps in acquiring and gradually mastering the technology, providing VNSC with valuable hands-on experience in large-scale industrial production and deepening its expertise.
The development of LOTUSat-1 lays the groundwork for Vietnam’s Strategy for the Development and Application of Space Science and Technology through 2030, enhancing capabilities and advancing toward greater independence in space technology.
To optimize the use of LOTUSat-1, in November 2023, Professor-Academician Chau Van Minh, President of the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, and Professor Yamakawa Hiroshi, President of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), signed an "Implementation Agreement on Feasibility Studies for Cooperation in Space Technology from 2023 to 2028."
Under this cooperation, both sides will share expertise in operating the LOTUSat-1 satellite in orbit, managing VNSC, and developing solutions for satellite image data sharing.
Vietnam and Japan began cooperating in space technology in 2006. With JAXA’s support, Vietnamese engineers developed and successfully launched three "Made in Vietnam" microsatellites into orbit: PicoDragon (2013), MicroDragon (2019), and NanoDragon (2021).
