An exhibition entitled “Vietnam-Italy Space Technology and Application. Looking Beyond” is underway in Hanoi, featuring 23 high-definition images of the Earth taken by Italian satellite system COSMO-SkyMed and processed by Telespazio/e-GEOS.

The event, which opened on December 12, is co-organised by the Vietnam National Space Centre (VNSC) under Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology (VAST) and the Italian Embassy in Hanoi. It is part of activities to celebrate the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and Italy next year and on the occasion of the Italian National Space Day (December 16).

Two remarkable images of Hanoi and the Mekong Delta, together with nine panels by VAST illustrating the applications of satellite images in remote sensing and disaster prevention in Vietnam are also displayed at the exhibition.

Pham Anh Tuan, general director of VNSC, said satellite technology has many important uses for human well-being and safety as it provides crucial information on climate change and earth dynamics, thus helping to prevent natural disasters and better protect the environment.

The official said that seen from the sky, our planet looks like a patchwork or a mosaic, resembling a beautiful piece of contemporary art.
Italian Ambassador to Vietnam Antonio Alessandro said with over 200 companies, more than 7,000 employees and 10 national technology parks, Italy is one of the few countries with a complete supply chain in the field of space industry. The Italian space industry includes large and small/medium sized enterprises and has joint research programmes and scientific activities with many countries, including Vietnam.

At the time when Vietnam is implementing its National Space Strategy, the Italian Space Agency (ASI) and leading space technology companies such as Telespazio/e-Geos, Thales Alenia and Leonardo can concretely contribute to the development of Vietnamese expertise in this field, the diplomat added.

COSMO-SkyMed system is a constellation of five radar satellites owned by the Italian Space Agency and the Italian Ministry of Defence. It is at the forefront of radar technologies, providing the highest quality and precision features required for Earth observation regardless of weather conditions.

The exhibition will run until December 23 at the VNSC building on 18 Hoang Quoc Viet street, Hanoi./.