Vietnam to launch second man-made satellite in 2012

HANOI, June 12 (Xinhua) -- Vietnam will launch the country's second man-made satellite in 2012, local newspaper the New Hanoi reported Friday.

This is an important plan which was included in the strategy of research and application of space technology to 2020 of the country, said the newspaper.

The satellite, called VNREDSat-1, is of small size and low orbit. It will be used to monitor and take picture of the earth surface of different sizes and types and provide those pictures to centers gathering earth-surface satellite pictures.

A controlling center will be built on an area of two hectares in the Hoa Lac High-Tech Park in Hanoi.

Vietnam is expected to spend about 60 to 70 million U.S. dollars on the launching project, including expenses for manufacturing and launching satellite, building controlling center, and training human resources.

The satellite will operate for five years from the time of being launched into the space, according to the newspaper.