NEC and Sumitomo to build $180-million weather satellite for Vietnam: Nikkei Asian Review

Japan's NEC and Sumitomo agreed on Friday to a contract worth $184 million to develop satellite LOTUSat-1 for the Vietnamese government that will help predict severe weather and survey the resulting damage. 

This marks the first time technology group NEC will export a satellite. Most of the financing for the project will be covered by a state-backed yen loan provided by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

"This contract is the symbol of the exceptional relationship between Vietnam and Japan, and I expect it will serve a role in disaster prevention and other fronts," Chu Ngoc Anh, Minister of Vietnam's Science and Technology, said during a signing ceremony on Friday [October 18].

The Vietnamese government plans to launch the earth observation satellite as soon as 2023. Like Japan, Vietnam has sustained massive typhoons and flooding in recent years.

The LotuSat-1 satellite was developed by NEC and weighs roughly 500 kg. It contains control systems and other core components that can be mass-produced. LotuSat-1 is smaller than other satellites with comparable capabilities, and comes in at about a fifth of the price.

Additionally, Vietnam plans to launch a second satellite, the contract for which NEC and trading house Sumitomo will also pursue.

​The two Japanese companies previously reached a broad agreement with the Vietnamese government concerning satellite export in 2017, but a formal deal was delayed due to administrative processes in Hanoi.

Source: Nikkei Asian Review