Vietnam successfully launches LOTUSat-2 Earth observation satellite

The LOTUSat-2 Earth observation satellite was successfully launched at 09:42 on 28 May 2026 from the Tanegashima Space Centre in Japan, carried by JAXA's H3 rocket. It is the first satellite designed and built entirely by Vietnamese engineers at the Vietnam National Space Centre (VNSC), with no dependence on foreign technology.

LOTUSat-2 uses Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) technology — enabling it to image the Earth's surface day and night, even through cloud cover. This is a significant advantage for Vietnam, whose landscape is cloud-covered for many months each year.

Primary applications include: monitoring climate change and saltwater intrusion in the Mekong Delta, tracking illegal urban development, managing forest resources, and supporting disaster relief efforts. At one-metre resolution, LOTUSat-2 is 2.5 times sharper than LOTUSat-1.

Assoc. Prof. Pham Anh Tuan, Director General of VNSC, said: "We no longer have to call foreign partners when something goes wrong."

Vietnam aims to have a five-satellite constellation providing nationwide coverage with a three-hour revisit cycle by 2030.