Hanoi (VNS/VNA) - Vietnam is working to develop its own earthobservation satellite, which will help the country manage natural resources andmitigate the impacts of climate change and natural disasters, a conferenceheard on October 18.

Speaking at the conference, Tyutaro Kobayashi, deputy head of JapanInternational Cooperation Agency’s Vietnam Office said Vietnam was facing manychallenges caused by climate change, including coastal erosion, high tides andsaltwater intrusion.

The country was estimated to lose 1.5 percent of its GDP due to climate change,not including the loss of lives. Thus, the construction and operation oftechnology facilities to help the country collect data for accurate forecastsof natural disasters were necessary, he said.

Therefore, the project using earth observation satellites for climate changeand natural calamities prevention and control, jointly implemented by theJapanese government and Vietnam, has been set among key national projects.

The project, worth about 7 trillion VND (301 million USD), is planned to useofficial development assistance funds and the State budget from 2011 to 2023.The project was approved by the Government in 2006.

Vu Anh Tuan, deputy head of Vietnam National Space Centre, said theconstruction of the centre is part of the project, and would be completed by2019. The centre successfully developed the first PicoDragon Satellite in 2013,which could operate in space for three months. Three other satellites,including NanoDragon, MicroDragon and LOTUSat-1, are currently underdevelopment.

LOTUSat-1 is set to be launched next year. The satellite uses radar-trackingtechnology to give Vietnam the ability to view the entire country and itsterritorial sea in all weather conditions in high resolution.

According to experts, the country currently has to wait at least two days toget image data on certain areas in the country, but the time would reduce tobetween six and 12 hours if the country had its own satellite.

Having its own satellite would also give Vietnam image data in case ofemergency situations, reducing losses and contributing to a safer life. Theimage data would be shared among the international community, they said.

Tuan said as many as 36 engineers had been sent to Japan to study satellitetechnology. They were key staff studying and developing the MicroDragonsatellite.

The satellite was set to be launched into space this December, he added.

Vietnam is among the top ten countries in the world most affected by climatechange, according to the UN. The country has recorded unusual weatherconditions in recent years. Each year, the country suffers loss estimated at 780million USD due to public health and environmental problems related to climatechange. – VNS/VNA