Uganda Launches Her First Satellite into Space.

Uganda Launches Her first satellite into orbit, following its development by three Ugandan Bonny Omara, Edgar, Mujuni Derrick Tebuseke as well as Japanese engineers.

Uganda launched its first satellite into orbit on Monday, following its development by three Ugandan as well as Japanese engineers as part of a multinational satellite design program.

PearlAfricaSat-1, the nation’s cube satellite, will then be launched into low earth orbit in December of this year.

The PearlAfricaSat-1, as stated by the country’s Ministry of Science and Technology, is intended to provide research and observation data that will offer solutions in weather forecasting, land, water bodies, mineral mapping, and agriculture monitoring. Other examples include disaster preparedness, infrastructure planning, and border protection.

Ms Monica Musenero, Minister of Science, Technology, and Innovation, said that the new space solutions that will be usable next year will be a game changer for the nation’s economy, benefiting many sectors.

“As a nation, the advancement of PearlAfricaSat-1 introduces opportunities for the creation of subsequent satellite systems locally in Uganda, which means our engineers and scientists will be offering practical solutions to the problems facing Ugandan citizens while also enhancing the country’s internal capabilities to establish the value chain of the space science and technology industry,” Musenero stated “.

BIRDS-5 Project

The successful design of the satellite, that has been in the works since April 2020, was completed under the BIRDS-5 project, in which the three Ugandan engineers on the team gained experience in satellite design, manufacture, as well as testing.

The BIRDS-5 project, which aims to take the first steps toward developing an indigenous space program by designing, building, testing, launching, and running the first satellites for involved countries, is being carried out in partnership with Japan’s Kyushu Institute of Technology, with Zimbabwe also partaking.

Edgar Mujuni, Derrick Tebusweke, as well as Bonny Omara, three Ugandan students with master’s degrees in space systems engineering, were tasked to develop, test, as well as launch Uganda’s first satellite into space. They will also provide Ugandan graduate engineers with specialized training in satellite development, as well as establish Uganda’s first satellite communication network and a lab to support transfer of knowledge.

The satellite was recently turned over to NASA for transportation to the International Space Station, from which it will be launched into low-Earth orbit.

The satellite will be managed from Uganda, and all collected data will be analyzed and applied in Uganda via a base station.

Uganda is also establishing an earth station at Mpoma in Mukono for Ugandan command, control, as well as management of the PearlAfricasat-1.

A team of Ugandans will then be assigned the task installing ground sensor terminals to enable interaction with the satellite, aided by Japanese trained engineers.

In addition to the data received from the satellite, Uganda has been granted access to the capabilities of other satellites managed by theBIRDS-5 project. Uganda Launches Her First Satellite and that could be the start of a new era.

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