Uganda will launch two Satellites into space stations in 2022 and 2023 as the country becomes the 13th African nation to venture into space technology, Mediaspace News reports.
The first will be launched by December 2022 with the help of the Japanese Government.
Already, a team of three Uganda’s crem de la creme engineers are in Japan constructing the first satellite christened the ‘PEARL SAT 1’.
According to Innovations and Technology Minister Dr Elioda Tumwesigye, the main objective of the investment is to develop Uganda’s space capabilities in a well-coordinated and harmonised manner. He says it will help Uganda in areas of climate and environment changes, Agriculture and natural resources. Tumwesigye revealed this while highlighting strides made by his ministry as far as achieving the NRM manifesto of 2016-2021 is concerned.
The planned satellite will be ready for launching by December 2022 at the International space station in Japan, but exclusively for Uganda.
He says Uganda still lacks requisite infrastructure to launch it from here. In the near future, according to Elioda, the Government will develop Mukono based Mpoma Earth Satellite to host Uganda’s space centre. Elioda implored government support by among others aligning the country’s policies to conform to international space requirements.
James Kwesiga, the director of science, technology and innovation regulation at the ministry is also optimistic that by 2023 Uganda will have launched another satellite using the U.S space station.
He added that this is being built with Airbus Group, a global space leader in aerospace technology.
It is exactly 21 years after the first African satellite, SunSat-1, was launched into space by South Africa in 1999, and the industry has since accelerated with hundreds of millions of dollars invested into it.
A total of 40 satellites have so far been launched by African states since 2016.
Egypt leads the way with nine launched satellites, followed by South Africa with eight, Algeria with seven, Nigeria with six, and Morocco with three. Ghana, Sudan, Ethiopia, Angola, Kenya, Rwanda and Mauritius complete the list.
The Uganda cabinet sitting on 22 March 2021 approved the proposal to build a satellite station in Uganda with the main objective of developing Uganda’s space capabilities in a well-coordinated and harmonized manner. The following benefits and outcomes have been identified: Increased evidence-based technology information for planning and decision making; Improved space science and technology infrastructure to support research for industrial development for the country; Improved defence and security through improved capabilities for cross border movement monitoring and surveillance for the country; Increased private sector investment in space science, technology, research and innovation. This will, in the end, enhance foreign direct investment and collaborations, which will, in turn, attract or spur development for new technologies in the country; Improved national earth observation and remote sensing centres for the country; Improved application of space science and technology to the social, economic, political and environmental needs of the country while ensuring that Uganda also becomes a significant user and player of the outer space; and Increased Human Resource capacity to facilitate the development of space technology in the country.
In 2019, the Ugandan Minister of Science, Technology, and Innovation announced the country had set aside a budget for capacity development in the area of satellite development, which will see the nation launch its first satellite by 2022. In 2020, the International University of East Africa (IUEA) also submitted an application to the Uganda Communication Commission (UCC) to be able to build and launch an education satellite named Satellite One (IUEA UGA. SAT 1).