OTTAWA – Telesat said today that it has signed a contract to provide engineering consulting services to the Vietnam Post and Telecommunications Group (VNPT) of Vietnam.
The formal contract signing ceremony was held at Telesat’s headquarters in Ottawa on March 16th and was witnessed by officials from both companies, as well as the Vietnamese Ambassador to Canada.
Telesat will provide technical oversight of the design, integration, test, launch and acceptance of the VINASAT-1 satellite, as well as technical training. This first satellite to be procured by the nation of Vietnam is being manufactured by Lockheed Martin Commercial Space Systems. VINASAT-1, a C-/Ku-band hybrid satellite, is expected to have a minimum service life of 15 years.
"Telesat is unique in its ability to provide a full range of end-to-end services to customers, and we are internationally recognized for our depth of experience in satellite operations, technical support and systems expertise. It’s a privilege for us to put more than 35 years of this experience to work to benefit the people of Vietnam," said Dan Goldberg, president and CEO of Telesat, in a press release.
Telesat was first contracted to work on Vietnam’s national satellite program in 1999. Since that time the company has supported feasibility studies, frequency coordination, technical training and spacecraft selection and, with the signing of the most recent agreement, spacecraft construction monitoring. VINASAT-1 will improve telecommunications throughout Vietnam, particularly to the nation’s rural communities and hamlets, when it is launched in 2008.
