Lockheed signs Vietnam satellite contract
Vietnam will launch a U.S.-built telecommunications satellite in 2008 that will expand phone service to the rural countryside.
The VINASAT-1 will carry radio, telephone and television signals and will have a coverage footprint that will cover the entire country.
Vietnam Post and Telecommunications Group (VNPT) signed a contract Friday with Lockheed Martin for the nation's first satellite, which will be placed in geosynchronous orbit at 132 degrees east during the second quarter of 2008.
"VINASAT-1 will provide state-of-the-art technology that will help Vietnam enhance its role in modern world trade," said Lockheed Commercial Space Systems President Ted Gavrilis.
VINASAT-1 will be based on Lockheed's popular A2100A spacecraft, which will be equipped with C and Ku-band transponders and have a minimum service life of 15 years.
Copyright 2006 by United Press International