Vietnamese private aerospace company VinSpace signed an agreement with SpaceX to launch its first satellites in the second quarter of 2027 as part of SpaceX’s Transporter rideshare program [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]. VinSpace was established in November 2025 under the Vingroup conglomerate with committed capital of about 300 billion dong (around US$11.4-11.5 million) [1, 2, 3, 4, 5].
Pham Nhat Vuong, Vietnam’s richest man and founder of Vingroup, holds a majority stake in VinSpace [1, 2, 3, 5]. VinSpace aims to become the leading aerospace company in Vietnam by building a commercial aerospace ecosystem, covering satellite research, development, manufacturing, and operation after launch [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]. VinSpace CEO Vu Trong Thu said, "Testing domestically developed satellite modules in orbit is an important condition for transforming the research and development capabilities of VinSpace’s engineering team into real missions. The contract with SpaceX is an important step forward in VinSpace’s long-term strategy, aimed at contributing to the development of a commercial aerospace ecosystem in Vietnam, while connecting Vietnam with the global space value chain" [2].
This deal follows Vietnam’s government granting SpaceX a license in April 2026 to operate Starlink as the country’s first large-scale satellite internet trial [1, 3, 5]. Starlink Services Vietnam, a local Starlink unit established in September 2025 with 30 billion dong (~US$1.1 million) in capital, is authorized to operate the trial, which allows up to 600,000 subscribers through 2030 [6]. Residential Starlink plans start around 1.13 million dong per month (approximately US$43) with hardware costing about 8.66 million dong [6, 7]. Vietnam is the sixth Southeast Asian country with Starlink availability, after Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and East Timor [6].
Vietnam has authorized four Starlink ground gateway stations to support the network [6]. The upcoming VinSpace satellite launch marks a further step in Vietnam’s southwestern push into the space and satellite sector.
VinSpace will handle all operations related to the satellites after launch, focusing on developing the country’s aerospace engineering capabilities and commercial space economy [2, 4]. The company’s planned satellite deployment in Q2 2027 will test and demonstrate domestically developed satellite modules in orbit, advancing VinSpace’s technical know-how and ambitions [1, 2, 3, 4, 5].
