The Kenya Space Agency (KSA) has announced plans to launch Taifa-1 (“one nation” in Swahili), Kenya’s first operational 3U Earth Observation Satellite, on April 11, 2023. SpaceX will launch the Falcon-9 rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. Kenyan engineers from SayariLabs built and developed the Taifa-1, while EnduroSat assisted with testing and manufacturing.
The mission’s goal, as stated by the Kenyan Ministry of Defense and KSA, is to deliver accurate and up-to-date earth-observing satellite data to stakeholders in a variety of domains of application, notably agriculture, and food security. In addition, the satellite will deliver data to help agricultural and food security choices, natural resource management, and monitoring of the environment, among other government programs.
Kenya Space Agency Has A Big Mission
Aside from the broad goals, the Kenya Space Agency’s mission intends to increase Kenya’s technical competence across every aspect of space innovation and uses.
Brigadier Hillary Kipkosgey, Acting Director of the Kenya Space Agency, said of the launch, “The mission serves an essential part in placing Kenya on the map of the world because of its contribution to the growth of spacecraft development, the processing and analysis of data, and application development in Africa.” Furthermore, space is the next frontier in many respects, and we are excited to be a part of it. It’s a proud moment.”
Similarly, Aaron Nzau, Founder and CEO of SayariLabs, stated that the organization was on a mission to democratize these industries for all interested participants in the African area and to transform Kenya into a space powerhouse in the future generation. According to Space in Africa, over fifty African satellites have been deployed as of Nov 2022, however none from African land.
In January, the government of Djibouti announced an agreement of cooperation with a Hong Kong-based business to construct a $1 billion commercial spaceport that will take 5 years to complete.
