Kenya’s space programme plans to launch its first operational satellite on April 10, in a landmark achievement for the country, the government said on Monday.
The Taifa-1, or Nation-1 in Swahili, is scheduled to be launched aboard the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.
“The mission is an important milestone,” the defence ministry and Kenya Space Agency said in a joint statement, adding that it would contribute significantly to the country’s “budding space economy”.
The observation satellite is fully designed and developed by Kenyan engineers and will be deployed to provide data on agriculture and food security, among other areas, the statement said.
The East African economic powerhouse is battling its worst drought in decades after five failed rain seasons.
Testing and manufacturing of the parts were done in collaboration with a Bulgarian aerospace manufacturer.
The satellite launch will drive more African nations on the path of scientific innovation and the development of space programmes.
Egypt was the first African country to send a satellite into space in 1998, while in 2018, Kenya launched its first experimental nano-satellite from the International Space Station.
So far, at least 13 African countries had manufactured 48 satellites, according to Space in Africa, a Nigeria-based firm that tracks African space programmes.