Japan to Build Climate Observation Satellite for Vietnam

Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology (VAST) has agreed to purchase an Earth observation satellite from Japan, marking the first ever export satellite by Japan, the Tokyo-based Mainichi Shimbun newspaper reported over the weekend. The satellite is a high-performance, compact, radar-based model developed by NEC Corp. and Mitsubishi Electric Corp. The Advanced Satellite with New System Architecture for Observation-2 (ASNARO-2), including its ground equipment, is expected to come with a price of millions of dollars and will be purchased with the Japanese Government’s Official Development Assistance fund. Unlike optical satellites equipped with cameras, the ASNARO-2 is capable of surface observations even at night and in cloudy weather, making it an ideal tool in times of disaster, particularly to obtain data on damage and condition of crops. (VnExpress Sept 20, Machini.jp Sept 17)