. Saves Ethiopia over 300 mln Birr annually
ADDIS ABABA – Ministry of Innovation and Technology and Ethiopian Space Science disclosed that Ethiopia’s first ever satellite will be launched into space on Friday with the support of Chinese government.
Ethiopia is presently developing its first-ever satellite, a 70kg Multi-Spectral Remote Sensing Satellite, known as ETRSS-1, and it would help Ethiopia in its efforts to modernize its agricultural sector.
Mesay Woldehana, Technology Department Deputy Director at Ethiopian Space Science and Technology Institute, told The Ethiopian Herald that launching our own satellite plays a significant role to the overall development of the country. Previously the country paid for satellite service, and beyond the cost paid for the buying of the satellite service, there is restrictions of service usage, he added. “So, by launching our own satellite service, we will have multidimensional benefits apart from saving cost.”
With the launching of its first-ever remote sensing satellite on Friday, Ethiopia will be able to save about 300 million birr that used to be paid for the services required, according to Mesay.
Apart from this, producing skilled human power and technology transformation are the essential agenda of the Institute. Launching the country’s own satellite will play a crucial role as it will allow the country to control and launch anything confidentially as it sees fit. It will also bring significant benefit in many ways when the country runs its own space program.
The satellite will provide all the necessary data related to weather condition, soil protection, and preventing disasters and the like, Mesay noted. Once launched into space, the satellite is expected to monitor weather patterns for better agricultural planning, drought early warning, forestry management as well as natural resources protection initiatives.
The satellite, which is set to be launched from China, will have its command and control center in Ethiopia at the Entoto space observatory facility, which is located on the 3,200 metre hills of Entoto, on the outskirt of Addis.
According to the Institute, it is setting up receiver station to launch its first earth observatory satellite and preparations are nearing completion to launch the satellite that is being developed in China with eight million US dollars. Currently, the construction of a receiver station is underway and it will go operational following the launching of the satellite, he said. The station would help to receive information from five different satellites.
The Ethiopian Herald December 18/2019
BY HAILE DEMEKE
