Kenya Launch Its First Satellite

Kenya is the latest African nation to reach the great heights in the space industry, as it Launched its first-ever operation Earth observation satellite.

According to the Kenya Space Agency, the nanosatellite named Taifa-1 is among many spacecraft carried by SpaceX’s Falcoon 9 rocket that carried off on Saturday from Vandenberg Space Force Base, California.

Capt. Alloyce Were, an aeronautical engineer and deputy director of Navigation and Positioning at the government-run Kenya Space Agency said, “We have the challenges that have been brought about by climate change, which the satellite, by virtue of being able to capture images (will be able to help monitor.”

“We can monitor forest changes, we can monitor urbanisation changes.”

The satellite was developed by nine Kenyan engineers, and will collect agricultural and environmental data, including on floods, drought and wildfires.

The space agency said, the satellite was put together with the help of Bulgarian aerospace companyEndurosat, which took two years.

The satellite will be operating for five years which will later on turn to 20 years.

Africa is slowly finding its foot and gaining attraction with the help of new technologies, such as SpaceX’s small satellite ride-share programme. 52 satellites had been launched by 14 African countries, with Uganda and Zimbabwe sending theirs in November.