Vietnamese satellite company signs launch deal with SpaceX
The Vietnamese company VinSpace has purchased a slot on a SpaceX Falcon 9 Transporter mission in 2027, the first such contract to an American company.
The satellites, which VinSpace said it will develop and operate, will test the company’s technology in orbit and support future commercial applications.
VinSpace is part of Vietnam’s Vingroup conglomerate and was established in November 2025. The company said in April that it planned to develop and launch its first satellites in 2027. Founded by tycoon Pham Nhat Vuong, Vingroup is Vietnam’s largest privately owned company. It has a sprawling business empire that touches many aspects of daily life, from real estate and retail to healthcare, education and tourism.
Vietnam’s previous two satellites were launched by Arianespace, in 2008 and 2012, and were built by Lockheed Martin. They were also paid for by the Vietnamese government. This new private deal launch signals a significant shift away from government control and towards private enterprise, though under communist rule no private entity is ever safe. VinSpace is building and will operate the satellites this time.
It also signals Vietnam’s desire in recent years to strengthen its ties to the U.S. It approved Starlink sales in February for example, in an arrangement that allows SpaceX to market the terminals to customers directly.
One can’t help wondering if this shift is because Vietnam fears China, its huge neighbor to the north. In a sense its geopolitical circumstance is similar to Russia’s neighbors in eastern Europe. Both countries do not have an amiable track record to their neighbors.
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I’ve noted that New Space makes for strange bedfellows, and the improbability of a William Gibson novel. ‘Vietnamese satellite company’ would not have been a phrase to roll off the tongue so easily at the turn of the Century. VinGroup owns VinFast, a car company selling EV SUV’s in the US. The consensus seems to be: spend your money on another car. Any other car.
It is amusing that sixty years after we tried to LeMay Vietnam, the Komms won, tried things their way, and here we are: back to Capitalism. America wins, even when it loses.
Yes, I know that Neuromancer is premiering as an Apple TV series. I seasonally-subscribed to HBO during The Sopranos run; may have to do the same here.
Fun anecdote: I was unsubscribing to HBO after a season, and during the usual
pressureexit interview, I said that I only subscribed for the show. “Oh, a lot of people do that.”