Nairobi: Kenya is set to embark on space exploration with its first ever home-made satellite dubbed Nano Satellite. The satellite, which was developed by the University of Nairobi (UoN) in collaboration with Spienza University in Italy and Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), is expected to be launched on May 11, in Japan.
Education Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed will lead a delegation of state officials to Japan to witness the historic event. Confirming the scheduled deployment of Nano Satellite, University of Nairobi Vice Chancellor Peter Mbithi said the 10 cm by 10 cm cube satellite will be used in gathering data on weather forecast, climate change, coastline monitoring, wildlife and earth mapping and even transport and logistics.
“Successful deployment of Nano Satellite will set stage for the next phase for Kenyan scientists and engineers to develop bigger higher resolution satellites with more serious scientific and technological value,” Mbithi said. The UoN is one of the beneficiaries of the satellite, a join project between JAXA and the United Nations (UN) that seeks to help education institutions across Africa to develop their own satellites. The Kenyan project was initiated in 2015 and funded by Japan to the tune of about US$ 1 million. Japan also provided the platform where the Nano Satellite was constructed.
