BY ZEKARIAS WOLDEMARIAM
Many young students have a dream to study space science. Peniel Hailu, who studied electrical engineering at Addis Ababa University, is also one of such youth. Even though she had the interest to study space science since childhood, she is not able to realize it because of lack of a chance.
“Since I was a child may father used to bring me books related to space science, and inventions like that. I also used to watch BBC news about space science. I was fascinated by the concept” Says Peniel. But she is not yet able to get opportunity to get further study or employment in her dream since.
She is not the only one in Africa with enthusiasm to space science. Many still have the ambition to study it but the technology is new and expensive that many developing countries do not afford.
Early this month, University student from Ethiopia, Algeria, Namibia, Somalia had a chance to ask questions to Chinese space scientists, well known as Taikonauts. The Students did not need to travel anywhere away from home as they were able to connect to the Taikonauts from their respective home countries through online meeting.
Life in the 21st century has become simplified, sophisticated through the assistance of modern technology. The support it gives to human life makes it worth seeking despite its complexity and subsequent high cost of acquiring.
Due to this developing countries like those in Africa have found it difficult to introduce such modern technology and improve the living situation of their people. Among such technologies is space science.
Many countries are now aware of the invaluable benefits derived from the development and applications of space science and technology (SST).
Taking into consideration the significance Africa and China have beefed up collaboration in the field of space science and technology. China has also disclosed its readiness to cooperate with Africa in developing space science technology.
Mohamed Belhocine, African Union commissioner for education, science, technology and innovation, told Xinhua that The Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) is facilitating the growing China-Africa cooperation in space science and technology.
“With our friends in China, we have a framework of cooperation through the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation. It is in the framework of this forum that we are organizing meetings, which I hope will help the extension of knowledge about space science into our youth in different parts of Africa,” Belhocine said.
Val Munsami Chancellor, International Space University, and former CEO of the South African National Space Agency says Africa’s socio-economic and environmental development is widely acknowledged as being crucial to its growth and long-term sustainability – and the prosperity of its more than one billion residents. Increasingly, though, attention is also turning to the contribution that the space industry can make to progress on the continent. Space-based products and services have a critical role to play in meeting national and continental priorities, as underpinned by the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals and the African Union’s Agenda 2063 – the bloc’s strategic framework for development, democracy and peace. With this in the mind of policymakers, the African Union’s space policy and strategy is embedded in Agenda 2063 as one of its 15 key programmes. It guides the sector’s development and the nascent African Space Agency, to become operational later this year from its headquarters in Egypt.
The continental agency is expected to leverage the benefits of space science and technology for socio-economic and environmental development. It will lead on bridging the space divide, especially for those countries that do not have a focus on, or activities in, space science and technology – and simultaneously inject some momentum into improving capabilities of existing national space programmes.
The African Union’s commitment to space has accelerated the growth of the African space industry. More than 20 national space agencies or space-related institutions have been established on the continent over the past five or so years.
One of the benefits of space science for Africa is preventing the possible damage of crops due to disasters. According to Africas Space Strategy document, In countries where the failure of a harvest may mean the difference between bounty and starvation, satellites have helped planners manage scarce resources and head off potential disasters before insects could wipe out an entire crop. For example, in agricultural regions near the fringes of the Sahara desert, scientists used satellite images to predict where locust swarms were breeding and were able to prevent the locusts from swarming, thus saving large areas of cropland. Remote sensing data helps with the management of scarce resources by showing the best places to drill for water or oil. From space, one can easily see fires burning in the rain forests as trees are cleared for farms and roads. Remote sensing satellites have become a formidable tool against the destruction of the environment because they can systematically monitor large areas to assess the spread of pollution and other damage. Such monitoring capabilities are critical for the long-term sustainable use of the continent’s scarce resources. Remote sensing technology has helped map makers. With satellite imagery, they can produce maps in a fraction of the time it would take using laborious ground surveys. The use of synthetic aperture radar (SAR) or stereoscopic imaging provides topographic maps of the landscape. This capability enables city planners to keep up with urban sprawl and gives deployed troops the latest maps of unfamiliar terrain. The latter is vitally important for peacekeeping missions in Africa.
Africa can also utilize space science in fighting natural disasters as well as air traffic management. The benefits from space infrastructure are becoming more evident in the management of long-term challenges faced by modern society. A case in point is the management of natural disasters like floods, for which navigation and positioning applications from space can provide data for the cycle of information for flood prevention and mitigation, pre-flood assessment, response (during the flood), recovery (after the flood) and accurate localized weather newscasts. In addition, timely satellite imagery and communication links in hard-to-reach places can help stem catastrophic economic and human losses. Navigation and positioning is the main element of the international air traffic management system, providing worldwide navigation coverage to support all phases of flight. With appropriate augmentation systems, navigation and positioning satellites will enable gate-to-gate navigation and all-weather capabilities for suitably equipped aircraft. With more precise navigation tools and accurate landing systems, flying not only becomes safer, but also more efficient by reducing the delay, diversion and cancellation of flights. These interventions also assist in reducing carbon dioxide emissions in the aviation sector.
Telecommunication satellites offer telecommunication services at national, regional and international levels. Satellite communications in Africa cover a wide range of applications, from traditional telecommunication services to the use of satellite communications to address social issues on the continent. These services include the provision of telephony and data transmission for remote areas using small dishes and advanced very small aperture terminal (VSAT) techniques, thus providing for specific services to a target group. Satellite television services are widely used for point-to-point television transmissions, as well as for direct-to-home television reception and community television. The Internet has a lower penetration rate in Africa than anywhere else in the world, and overall available bandwidth coverage indicates that Africa is significantly behind in bridging the “digital divide”. According to 2011 estimates, only about 13.5per cent of the African population has Internet access. Consequently, while Africa holds 15.0per cent of the world’s population, Africa only accounts for 6.2per cent of the world’s Internet subscribers. Moreover, the proportion of Africans who have access to broadband connections are estimated to be 1per cent or lower of the global broadband subscribers. Satellite communication can help fill this gap and increase broadband access, particularly in landlocked countries and rural areas where cable penetration is non-existent or hard to reach.
Hence the collaboration of China and Africa in space science would be of vital significance to advance Africa’s overall socioeconomic development.
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD TUESDAY 20 SEPTEMBER 2022
