...Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology (VAST) for the production of an Earth observation mini-satellite to be launched in 2017. After several years of negotiations, the SPACEBEL consortium was selected in July of 2011 on the basis of their technical proposal and also due to the continuous support of the Belgian Government, both at the Federal and regional levels. With this 100 percent Belgian satellite named VNREDSat-1b (Vietnam Natural Resources, Environment & Disaster Monitoring satellite), Vietnam will be able to independently monitor its territory and environment. Weighing 130kg, the small spacecraft will play an important role in the field of natural resources management (agriculture, forests), will ensure a better follow-up and prediction of climate changes, pollution detection in the seas, as well as help to minimize the impact of natural disasters, and so on.
This project representa a total value of more than 60 million euros. SPACEBEL will rely upon the expertise of various Belgian partners: QinetiQ Space, AMOS, Deltatec, the Space Centre of Liège, and VITO. These companies will be responsible, respectively, for the satellite platform, hyperspectral instrument, integration and testing, and data processing. As the Prime contractor and architect of the system, SPACEBEL will also develop the on-board software as well as the entire ground segment. A training program on satellite technology and remote sensing space applications will also be established in co-operation with the University of Liège. This first successful commercial sale confirms the skills of SPACEBEL in the field of small satellites.