The Director-General of National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA) Prof Seidu Mohammed, has opened up on
Nigeria’s nano-satellite which would be launched soon.
Nigeria is to launch Africa’s first
nanosatellite (an artificial satellite with a wet
mass between one and 10 kg 2.2–22 lb)
into the orbit, the Director-General of
National Space Research and Development
Agency (NASRDA), Prof Seidu Mohammed,
has said.
Mohammed told the Correspondent of the
News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in New York
that the Nigeria’s nanosatellite would be
launched alongside four other countries
between May 23 to May 27.
The NASRDA chief disclosed that the
nanosatellite would be launched “within the
window of May 23 and 27” from the launch
base at Miami, Florida, U.S.
According to him, the latest satellite to be
launched is another feat achieved by the
Nigerian engineers.
Mohammed said: “Nigeria, along with other
four countries – Japan, Ghana, Bangladesh
and Nepal – in the last one year, came
together to work in a constellation to build
about five nanosatellites.
“You may ask ‘what are these nanosatellites
for?’ It’s a scientific satellite that is to study
environmental parameters. They would help
in most of these environmental issues to
study them – environmental
characterization.
“In addition to that, they would also be
carrying camera that would acquire some
form of data. And what we have also
demonstrated by this is the fact that
Nigerian engineers and scientists earlier
built Nigerian Sat-X using the laboratory in
Missouri.
“They’ve gone ahead again to build
nanosatellite in the laboratory in Kyushu
University in Japan and all these are parts of
efforts to sustain technology already
transferred to Nigerian scientists and
engineers”.
The NASRDA chief said in addition to the feat
achieved by the Nigerian engineers, there
was the need to encourage the youth to
take career in space science and technology.
“Those nanosatellites, each time they are
within the Nigerian territory, would be
singing National Anthem. So those who
carry UHF radio would be able to receive it
and all these are part of Nigeria’s efforts,” he
said.
The space chief also declared that Nigeria
would be a space power by 2030, sending
an astronaut into space from Nigerian-
owned launch facility on Nigeria’s soil.
According to him, the engineers that design
and launch Nigerian satellites are at the
Centre for Satellite Technology Development
at NASRDA.
“There is a ‘Roadmap for Development of
Space Science and Technology’ ending in
2030. We hope by 2030, facilities for launch
would have been provided in Nigeria so that
by that year, we would have launched
satellite from Nigeria into space.”
He expressed optimism that with the
current efforts of the Minister of Science and
Technology, Dr Ogbonnaya Onu, the plan
would be actualized.
“We would be able to complete our
Assembling, Integration, Testing and Design
before 2018, and by 2022, most of these
efforts would begin to crystallize.
“The large-scale commercialization of space
equipment would be possible in our
country, and by 2030, we believe that there
would be a launching facility from our
country.
“We believe before 2030, there will be need
for Nigeria to be an international space
station,” the NASRDA chief said.
He commended the team of engineers
scientists at NASRDA, saying efforts are
ongoing to ensure that by 2018, the first
satellite would roll out of the agency’s
facility.
According to him, NASRDA remains the
number one space agency in Africa, adding
it has so far launched five satellites – three
earth observation satellites and two
communication satellites.
NAN reports that NASRDA since inception in
2001 had launched five satellites.
The first satellite, NigeriaSat-I, an
international disaster monitoring
constellation satellite, built by a UK-based
satellite technology company, Surrey Space
Technology Limited, was launched in 2003.
NigComSat-I, the second Nigerian satellite
was ordered and built in China in 2004; it
was Africa’s first communication satellite,
launched on May 13, 2007.
NigeriaSat-2 and NigeriaSat-X, which,
respectively, were the third and fourth built
by Surrey Space Technology Limited., were
launched in Aug. 17, 2011.
The fifth, NigComSat-1R was launched by
China on Dec. 19, 2011.
