Vietnam considers licensing first made-in-Vietnam spacecraft

The first Vietnamese-made spacecraft created by a group of young engineers headed by Pham Gia Vinh has recently received a license for manned test flights in the country.



The licensing marked a milestone in the testing of flying instruments manufactured by the Dong Giang Company of Pham Gia Vinh and Vietnamese engineers.

Colonel Nguyen Minh Xuan from the Vietnam Academy of Air Force – Air Defense Force, who was Vinh’s collaborator in many experiments, was surprised about the news.

He said the manned test flight will have importan significance.

“The highest requirement in manufacturing flying object is to get a man on board,” he explained.

“If so, the gap between scientific invention and commercial development will be narrow. The flying object will not only be able to serve commercial purposes, but also serve the national defence,” Xuan commented.

However, Xuan warned that it would not be easy, though Vinh had succeeded in bringing mice in the air at the height of 30 kilometers.

“It is easy to create a mini climate zone for mice to live in small space. But this is quite different. However, I hope Vinh can do this well,” he said.

When asked about the rate of success, Nguyen Minh Xuan said: "I think the success rate is 50/50, but in science, this is a high ratio.”.

The expert, praising the great achievements gained by Vinh and his co-workers, said it would be a breakthrough in Vietnam’s space science & technology.

He noted that Vinh’s spacecraft model had undergone strict tests to get the license for test flying in Australia, which sets very strict requirements.

Xuan went on to say that even in developed countries, private companies like Vinh’s cannot create civil flying instruments which fly at the height of 30 kilometers.

When answering VTC News, Vu Quoc Huy from the Hanoi University of Technology, also commented that the spacecraft is a great step forward in Vietnam’s aerospace science.

“Vietnam still doesn’t have civil flying instrument which can fly at the height of 30 kilometers. If it can make unmanned flying objects at a height of 30 kilometers, Vietnam will witness a breakthrough,” he said.

At a press conference held on May 17 on the occasion of the meeting between the Prime Minister and enterprises, VTC News reporters raised a question about the licensing to Vinh’s spacecraft.

Mai Tien Dung, Minister, Chief of the Government Office, said when receiving the proposal from the enterprise on the licensing for test flight, the government will consider the case and create most favorable conditions for the enterprise to implement this.

Mai Chi / vietnamnet