Greetings All,

For the past few weeks, I’ve been thinking a lot about Africans going to space. Random, I know. But with the increasing discussions on advanced technology and my interest in the advancement of African people, it was only a matter of time before astronomy became a factor. This led me to some very interesting information on a satellite coming out of Ethiopia.

ETRSS 1

The ETRSS 1 (Ethiopian Remote Sensing Satellite) is Ethiopia’s first satellite that will provide data on climate changes and weather-related phenomena. It’s expected to monitor weather patterns for agriculture, foresting, mining, environmental protection, and natural resources. ETRSS 1 is 70kg multi-spectral, and it was developed and built by CAST. It will also be operated by the Ethiopian Space Science and Technology Institute (ESSTI) in Addis Ababa.

This satellite was built in China and launched from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center on December 20, 2019, by way of the CZ-4B rocket. 21 scientists, 5 of which were women, took part in the satellite’s construction as part of the technology-transfer agreement between Beijing and ESSTI. Its launch was a milestone in Ethiopia’s space ambitions and is Africa’s 41st satellite in space. Ethiopia is now the 11th African nation to launch a satellite into space, joining Algeria, Angola, Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Morocco, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, and Sudan.

I was pleasantly surprised that other countries throughout the continent have already launched satellites in space, more research on those to come. If you have any additional information on the ETRSS 1, feel free to comment below.

Until Next Time…

 

 

 

 

(Sources)

Ibeh, J. (2019, December 20). Ethiopia Launches First Satellite Named ETRSS-1 From China. Retrieved January 18, 2020, from https://africanews.space/ethiopia-launches-first-satellite-named-etrss-1-from-china/

Shaban, A. R. A. (2019, December). Ethiopia’s historic space satellite, ET-RSS1: All you need to know. Retrieved January 18, 2020, from https://www.africanews.com/2019/12/19/ethiopia-s-historic-space-satellite-et-rss1-all-you-need-to-know/

ETRSS 1. space.skyrocket.de/doc_sdat/etrss-1.htm. Accessed 18 Jan. 2020.