Vietnam National Space Center – Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency sign cooperation agreement during Japanese Prime Minister’s official visit to Vietnam
Dr. Le Xuan Huy, Deputy Director General of VNSC, and Mr. Yasuo Ishii, Senior Vice President of JAXA, exchange the cooperation agreement under the witness of Prime Minister of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam Le Minh Hung and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi
VNSC and JAXA have cooperated on sharing ALOS-2 satellite imagery since 2017. The ALOS-2 (Advanced Land Observing Satellite-2), equipped with the PALSAR-2 radar sensor operating in the L-band, has provided 130,000 satellite images covering Vietnam, including nearly 100,000 images integrated into the Vietnam Data Cube satellite data-sharing system.
This cooperation has enabled VNSC to access the data free of charge and share it with the Vietnamese scientific community for research related to rice monitoring in the Mekong Delta, rapid flood monitoring and forest change observation.
In July 2024, JAXA successfully launched the next-generation ALOS-4 satellite carrying the PALSAR-3 sensor, which offers wider observation coverage and higher resolution. Access to this new data source is expected to help VNSC maintain and improve the quality of existing resource-monitoring applications.
To facilitate this cooperation, the two sides agreed to sign the amendment document. The amended agreement maintains the core spirit of the cooperation framework signed in 2017, under which JAXA continues to serve as the provider of advanced ALOS-2 and ALOS-4 satellite data, while VNSC remains responsible for receiving, exploiting and submitting scientific reports on application results.
The signing of the amendment provides the legal basis for VNSC to officially represent Vietnam in receiving this data stream, ensuring the continuity of observation datasets while opening up new opportunities for applying advanced radar technologies to support sustainable development and climate change response for ministries and sectors. It also contributes significantly to deepening and enhancing the effectiveness of space cooperation between Vietnam and Japan.
Dr Le Xuan Huy, Deputy Director General of VNSC; Dr Hoang Quoc Nam, Deputy Head of the Department of Training and International Cooperation; JAXA Senior Vice President Yasuo Ishii; and Kobayashi Yosuke, Chief Representative of JICA Vietnam Office take a group photo
Translated by Phuong Huyen
Link to Vietnamese version
