by NSR

On 18 April 2008, Vietnam's first satellite, Vinasat-1, was successfully launched by Arianespace with the use of a heavy-lift Ariane-5 ECA launch vehicle. The reportedly $200 million satellite will provide television, radio, and telephone services for the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. It was built by U.S.-based Lockheed Martin Commercial Space Systems (LMCSS) for the Vietnam-owned Posts and Telecommunications Group (VNPT).