Kenya’s first earth observation satellite launch has been postponed by 24 hours by Elon Musk‘s SpaceX company due to unfavourable weather conditions at the California launch site.
Together with other satellites from other nations, the Nation-1 satellite, or Taifa-1 in Swahili, was to be launched on a Falcon 9 rocket.
The delay was caused by “unfavorable upper-level wind conditions,” according to a statement from the Kenya Space Agency, which would “impact the rocket’s flight trajectory.”
The launch is now anticipated to occur at Vandenberg Air Force Base on Wednesday, April 12.
The satellite’s primary goal will be to deliver data for use in environmental monitoring, land management, agriculture, and food security.
With the help of a Bulgarian aerospace manufacturer, a team of Kenyan experts completely designed and manufactured Taifa-1, including the testing of the satellite’s components.
In 2018, Kenya and Japan worked together to launch their first experimental nanosatellite from the International Space Station and students from the University of Nairobi constructed it.
