InsiderBLM Africa
The government announced on Monday that Kenya will launch its first operational satellite the following week, marking a significant accomplishment for the nation’s space program.
On April 10, Taifa-1, also known as Nation-1 in Swahili, is expected to launch from the Californian Vandenberg Space Force Base aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.
In a joint statement, the defense ministry and Kenya Space Agency referred to the mission as “an important milestone” and noted that it would have a significant impact on the nation’s “budding space economy.”
According to the statement, the observation satellite was “fully designed and developed” by Kenyan engineers and will be used to provide information on food security and agriculture, among other things.
Together with a Bulgarian aerospace manufacturer, testing and production of the parts were completed, it was added.
Kenya, a powerhouse nation in East Africa, is currently experiencing its worst drought in decades as a result of five seasons without rain.
The satellite launch will support an effort by African countries to advance scientific research and space program development.
In 1998, Egypt became the first nation in Africa to launch a satellite into orbit.
From the International Space Station, Kenya launched its first experimental nanosatellite in 2018.
At least 13 African nations had produced 48 satellites as of 2022, according to Space in Africa, a Nigeria-based company that keeps track of African space programs.
According to Space in Africa, more than 50 African satellites have been launched as of November 2022, but none from African soil.
A $1 billion commercial spaceport that will take five years to complete was the subject of a memorandum of understanding between the governments of Djibouti and a Hong Kong-based company in January.
