Ethiopia has been working to realize its vision of creating a fully-fledged national space science development program. Back in December, the country joined other African nations that have their own space programs, including Nigeria, South Africa, and Egypt, by launching its own remote sensing satellite from China.
The development and launching of the satellite are aimed at spurring the agriculture and communication sectors. Now, the country is set to further develop the satellite sector using various strategies.
To enable the activities of space science, The Entoto Observatory and Research Center has been established to facilitate space science activities, provide a facility in which to train astronomers, scientists, and engineers, and promote the culture of science and innovation in general. Its main priority is inspiring the young generation to be involved in science and technology and hence contribute to the overall development of their country.
That is why the Ethiopian Space Science and Technology Institute (ESSTI) has launched the first-ever remote sensing satellite for observation of earth. The satellite command and control center is located at the Entoto Observatory and Research Center in the outskirts of Addis Ababa. ESSTI, in collaboration with the Chinese government, has developed the launched Satellite.
Dr. Solomon Belay, Director of General Ethiopian Space Science, and Technology Institute (ESSTI) told The Ethiopian Herald that the major challenge to develop satellite technology in Ethiopia is a shortage of skilled and internationally competitive manpower.
That is why the country in general and the Institute, in particular, have opted to undertake several activities to overcome the challenges including organizing training schemes for professionals, sending trainees to abroad, and allocating budget for building manpower for the assembly or manufacturing sector. “Providing training to all professionals at once is difficult for us. We will look into various alternatives. But we are designing various systems to train our manpower and develop space science.”
The country is also working jointly with different countries to further spur the development of the space sector. “We have good cooperation with China, France, India, and America in space science development according to their policy. Moreover, we have also laid a very good foundation to work together particularly with France.”
It is also important to assess the potential and performance of various higher learning institutions in the country to enhance their contribution to space science particularly in producing skilled manpower.
Improved satellite technology will be used for agricultural, mining, environmental protection, communication, earth observatory and other purposes.
According to Solomon, the country is committed not to buy satellite. “Our strategy is to develop satellites in collaboration with other countries by making sure that our professionals also take part in the process. This would help us to build their capacity through knowledge, skill and technology transfer.”
“In the next ten years, Ethiopia would build the capacity to develop its own satellite. By then, it would be able to be competitive,” he added. Launching a satellite is not the difficult part, but developing it by oneself is challenging as it requires a lot of investment and qualified manpower.
According to him, developing space science is a matter of survival for Ethiopia. “Ethiopia is not in a hurry to go deep into space, but our plan is to build a capacity to build our own satellite that is free of error. This will enable us to build a communication satellite to support our economic growth.”
The satellite sector has been facing many challenges such as lack of awareness, shortage of space policy and strategy. In addition to these, lack of policy commitment and skilled manpower are hindering the development of Africa’s and Ethiopia’s space science industry, he said.
The Ethiopian government is keen to collaborate with fellow African countries as well as space agencies for mutual benefits by better harnessing the potential of technologies in space science.
It is important to exert concerted efforts among countries towards the development of viable space programs to share experience and technology. The main mission of the space satellite is to monitor climate change and assess environmental issues such as proper application of water resources, mining and other activities, Solomon added.
Having its own satellite technology would provide significant support in analyzing weather conditions, particularly in remote areas. “If Ethiopia owns its own satellite, it would bring about a lot of advantages. Most importantly, it would boost cost-effectiveness by saving the hard-currency that would otherwise be spent in accessing the service from other countries.”
The participation of Ethiopian engineers in collaboration with the Chinese government and professionals would help to build technical skills and push further the country’s goal to develop its own satellite in the future. Several countries used satellite technology to develop their economies. They consider it as a crucial element to their economic development.
The Ethiopian Herald February 27/2020
BY TSEGAYE TILAHUN
