New Delhi: As part of the cooperation between India and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), India has begun working to build land stations, payload data receipts, processing facilities and dissemination in Vietnam.
This is intended to provide a reliable operational space-based system for remote sensing on ASEAN – Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam – Regions.
From providing remote sensing data and training to work with countries on small satellites, among others, ISRO has a long partnership with ASEAN and this is another step towards promoting Indian space diplomacy.
Toi has reported Indian intention to establish a land station in Vietnam in 2015, after Prime Minister Narendra Modi has discussed this issue at the Indian-ASEAN meeting at Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar.
And, earlier this year, India told the UN Security Council that his vision of Indo-Pacific as a free, open and inclusive area was based on the ASEAN centrality and joint well-being pursuaries.
The proposed facility, which will be built on a four-hectare land in my Phouuc-3 industrial park, Binh Doon Province, Vietnam will have an antenna of 11m which will be installed by ISRO telemetry, tracking and network commands (Istrac).
Documents reviewed by TOI show that land for the project has been acquired by the Government of Vietnam while the Ististra has floated the expression of interest (EOI) from the bidder for the construction of the facility last week.
The selected companies will “take work in design and build mode which includes job planning by taking prior approval from the Vietnamese authority and designing, building and assigning work according to the planned plans obtained in the land obtained as a job acquired including civil works, pH, Electricity and other allies.
“The estimated project costs are 86 billion Vietnam dollars and work is expected to be completed in 18 months assigned.
This facility will include a supporting structure of antennas spread across 75 square meters, a building facility spread in 1,235-square meters, among others.
Facilities, once operational, will also be useful for India, which has worked to improve its tracking network.
ISRO already has a network of land stations in the country and outside: Bengaluru, Lucknow, Mauritius, Sriharikota, Port Blair, Thiruvananthapuram, Brunei, Biak (Indonesia).
Among other projects, the facility in Vietnam might also help the mission of India’s failure as ISRO wanted to have its own coverage for at least 90% of the flight path and depend slightly on other tracking stations for human flight mission.