The signing, which took place in Hanoi during the state visit of French President Emmanuel Macron and in the presence of Vietnamese President Lương Cường, builds on the enduring success of the VNREDSat-1 programme—a landmark in Vietnam’s space development journey.

The agreement signals a mutual commitment to exploring next-generation Earth observation systems designed to support Vietnam’s climate change mitigation, natural disaster monitoring, and sustainable resource management. At the core of the collaboration is a shared vision to ensure sovereign capabilities in space technology and to prepare the groundwork for future satellite missions that leverage CNES and Airbus technologies, including those developed under the CO3D constellation.

“The renewed cooperation between Airbus, CNES and VAST reflects a clear dedication to long-term partnerships that build sovereign capabilities and deliver meaningful societal value,” said Stéphane Vesval, Senior Vice President Sales Space Systems at Airbus Defence and Space. “We are proud to continue supporting Vietnam’s vision of becoming a leading spacefaring nation in Southeast Asia.”

The partnership not only includes continued support and optimisation of the VNREDSat-1, which has surpassed its expected lifespan since its 2013 launch, but also lays the foundation for technology transfer, training programmes, and scientific collaboration.

In addition, CNES and VAST aim to expand technical exchanges around Earth observation data, the development of targeted applications, and capacity-building initiatives. These efforts will be instrumental in transforming raw satellite data into actionable insights for environmental and scientific purposes.

With this renewed commitment, the three institutions reaffirm their alignment on using space technology to serve pressing global and regional challenges, and to empower Vietnam’s ambitions in the rapidly evolving aerospace sector.