In this edition of our Technology and Innovation Tuesday (#TIT) series, we take a look at Kenya’s deployment of its first satellite into space.
Kenya will launch its first locally produced satellite into orbit on May 11, 2018, making the East African country the fifth in sub-Saharan Africa to have a satellite in space.
The 10-centimetre CubeSat named the First Kenya University Nano-Satellite – Precursor Flight (1KUNS-PF) was developed by students and researchers of the University of Nairobi in partnership with Japanese Space Agency (JAXA) under the KiboCube programme run by the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA).
The nano-satellite was handed over to the JAXA Tsukuba Space Center in January and it will be deployed on Friday from the Kibo Space Centre, Japan’s own International Space Station (ISS) which is in the experimental stage.
This is the first CubeSat to be deployed from the Kibo Space Centre and it will be done in the presence of a delegation of government officials and university researchers led by Education Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed, the University stated.
As of 2018, only nine countries and one inter-governmental organisation in the world have sent objects including satellites into orbit with their own launch vehicles. They include the European Space Agency, Russia, China and the United States.
No African country has launched satellites into space using its own launch vehicles. However, only four countries in Sub-Saharan Africa have satellites orbiting the earth. Three African satellites were launched into orbit in 2017 alone.
Here are the four other sub-Saharan African countries with satellites in space.
The beloved host of This Morning, Alison Hammond, is making headlines by selling off her…
Two high school students in Grand Rapids, Michigan, have earned a place in history. The…
Derek Floyd, a 36-year-old Fire Department of New York probationary fireman, died of a heart…
A 4-year-old boy fighting end-stage kidney disease lived out his dream as a cop for…
Director Abshir Rageh oversees film production at Astaan, a privately held cable television network in…
Nigerians are eagerly awaiting to welcome their "daughter" Meghan Markle's royal visit next month alongside…
Othello Larenzo Holmes has been charged with attempted indecent assault and faces five counts of…
Dylan Beard is a Howard University graduate who is currently working at a Walmart deli.…
Boxing legend Mike Tyson is not taking any chances as he prepares for his July…
LeBron James has cast uncertainty over his future with the Lakers by declining to confirm…
Four Florida teenagers were killed after they crashed a suspected stolen car during a police…
When their school bus driver experienced a medical emergency, Acie Holland III came to the…
Former UFC heavyweight champion cum professional boxer Francis Ngannou took to social media on Monday…
A 17-year-old migrant from Sudan, Abdul Usman, has attempted to cross the Channel from France…
Tatiyana, Danyelle LaShay, and Jyniah Smith -- the Smith sisters -- are some of the…