Vietnam aerospace company to send satellites aboard Elon Musk’s SpaceX rideshare mission

Vietnamese aerospace firm VinSpace has inked a deal with SpaceX to send its inaugural satellites into orbit through a SpaceX rideshare mission in 2027. This marks a significant step in Vietnam's endeavor to cultivate its fledgling space industry. VinSpace, a subsidiary of the Vingroup conglomerate, announced its intent to develop and operate these satellites, which will serve to validate the company's technology and pave the way for future commercial applications.

The company, established in November 2025, is poised to launch these satellites via a SpaceX Transporter mission, an initiative where multiple customers' satellites are launched together on a single rocket to economize on launch expenses. VinSpace's CEO, Thu Vu, underscored the importance of dependable access to space in transforming satellite innovations into functional missions.

The company, while not divulging the contract's monetary value or the specifics of the satellites, aims to evolve into a comprehensive aerospace entity, encompassing facets from satellite design and manufacturing to launch operations and data services. Vietnam, a modest player in the global space arena, has been striving to bolster its aerospace capabilities over several decades.

Notably, it launched its first telecommunications satellite in 2008 and another in 2012. In March, Vietnam inaugurated a substantial space science and technology center in Hanoi's Hoa Lac High-Tech Park, aimed at augmenting the nation's satellite development and utilization of space-based data. In February, Vietnam granted SpaceX permission to launch its Starlink satellite internet service within the country, a move some analysts interpreted as a strategy to circumvent U.S. tariffs. Starlink has since begun accepting orders in Vietnam.