Vietnam collaborates with Thales Alenia Space on SAR solution

Image: Thales Alenia Space

Thales Alenia Space, along with Viettel and MKE, have been selected by Vinamarine to provide Vietnam with a MEOLUT Next ground station. MEOLUT Next will operate as a part of the COSPAS-SARSAT global medium orbit search-and-rescue (SAR) network.

The SAR solution will enable the detection and location of distress signals from COSPAS-SARSAT beacons on land, in the air, and at sea over a radius of 2,500 km around Haiphong, Vietnam, mainly using signals from Galileo.

Thales Alenia Space’s MEOLUT Next solution employs a phased array antenna and can track more than 30 satellites, which enhances distress beacon detection and expands coverage. The solution can detect and locate distress signals from more than 5,000 km away.

MEOLUT Next is used by other COSPAS-SARSAT users including Canada, the United States, France, the European Union, Togo and Thailand.