Kenya to Launch First Operational Satellite Next Week

The government announced on Monday that Kenya will launch its first operational satellite next 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 atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.

“The mission is an important milestone,” the defense ministry and Kenya Space Agency said in a joint statement, adding that it would contribute significantly to the country’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 data on food security and agriculture, among other things.

Together with a Bulgarian aerospace manufacturer, testing and production of the parts were completed, it was reported.

Kenya, an economic power 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 growth.

In 1998, Egypt became the first nation in Africa to launch a spacecraft into space.

From the International Space Station, Kenya launched its first trial nanosatellite in 2018.

According to Space in Africa, a Nigeria-based company that monitors African space programs, at least 13 African nations had produced 48 spacecraft as of 2022.

According to Space in Africa, more than 50 African satellites have been launched as of November 2022, but none from African land.

The Djibouti government revealed in January that it had signed an agreement with a Hong Kong-based business to construct a $1 billion commercial spaceport that would take five years to complete.