HANOI, March 24 (Xinhua) -- Vietnam targets to self-develop Lotusat-2 by 2022 when its technical facilities for satellite research, assembly, integration and testing are ready to operate, according to the Vietnam National Satellite Center (VNSC).

Pham Anh Tuan, director of VNSC, was quoted by local Nhan Dan (People) newspaper as saying on Friday that after developing one-kilogram PicoDragon, the first Vietnamese self-produced mini satellite which was sent into the orbit in 2013, his center will continue a project of satellite manufacturing to make NanoDragon (weighing 4-6 kg), MicroDragon (50 kg) and Lotusat (600 kg).

In 2018, Vietnamese satellite MicroDragon will be sent to the orbit with a mission to observe coastal water to evaluate water quality and make forecast on aquatic cultivation.

In 2019, Lotusat-1 will be launched and put into operation while in 2022, Lotusat-2 will be domestically made, assembled and piloted by the VNSC.

"The two satellites with modern radar sensor technology will be in charge of supervising Vietnamese land and sea in all weather conditions, contributing to reduce impacts of climate change and natural disasters, manage natural resources and monitor the environment," said Tuan.