From a command center set amid lush rice fields outside the capital Hanoi, scientists tracked the Arianespace rocket as it propelled the Vinasat-1 on its path to hover 36,000 kilometers (22,000 miles) above the equator. “This project is politically, economically and socially important,” said Prime minister Nguyen Tan Dung, soon after the launch, noting that it would help to “raise Vietnam’s image on the international stage.”

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