KAMPALA- UGANDA: The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has announced Uganda’s first satellite, the PearlAfricaSat-1, will be launched into low orbit space on November 06, 2022.
In a press release this morning, the US as well as the international media have been informed that the Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus spacecraft was processed for flight at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility on Wallops Island, Virginia on September 24.
“The spacecraft is scheduled for flight on the company’s Antares rocket no earlier than 5:50 a.m. EST, Nov. 6, 2022, from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport at Wallops,” the September 28, press release quoting Lora Bleacher at the NASA Headquarters in Washington, Keith Koehler at Wallops Flight Facility, Wallops Island, and Trina Patterson at Northrop Grumman, Chandler, Arizona, said.
“Media accreditation is open for the launch of the next commercial resupply services mission to deliver NASA science investigations, supplies, and equipment to the International Space Station,” they added.
Accordingly, both U.S. and international media may apply for credentials to cover the pre-launch and launch activities at Wallops. The application deadline for media who are U.S. citizens is Friday, Oct. 28.
“International media without U.S. citizenship must apply by Friday, Oct. 7, 2022. All media, as described in the NASA accreditation policy, must send their accreditation request to Keith Koehler at: keith.a.koehler@nasa.gov.”
What’s on board:
Each resupply mission to the station delivers scientific investigations in the areas of biology and biotechnology, Earth and space science, physical sciences, and technology development and demonstrations.
On this particular flight, the delivery includes: Uganda and Zimbabwe’s first satellites developed as a part of the BIRDS program, an interdisciplinary project for non-space-faring countries, a facility, and study that attempt to advance 3D biological printing of human tissue in space, a study taking advantage of micro gravity to better understand catastrophic mud flows that can occur after wildfires, an investigation into how micro gravity influences ovary function and an experiment that studies if changes space-grown plants undergo to adapt to micro gravity can be transmitted through seeds to the next generation.
Cargo resupply from U.S. companies ensures a national capability to deliver critical science research to the space station, significantly increasing NASA’s ability to conduct new investigations aboard humanity’s laboratory in space.
Uganda’s PearlAfrisat-1 Satellite Journey to Space:
The development of PearlAfricaSat-1 Cube, a 1U (10 cm by 10 cm by 10 cm) size satellite was developed in Japan by a cohort of Japanese and Ugandan scientists and was handed over to Uganda during a ceremony that took place in May this year.
The handover ceremony took place at the Office of the Prime Minister via satellite link.
The Ugandan scientists who participated in its development are three students; Eng. Edgar MUJUNI, Eng. Derrick TEBUSWEKE and Eng. Bonny OMARA.
According to the vision bearer, Dr. Doreen Agaba, a professor at Kyambogo University, the students are back in the country and eagerly waiting for their ‘baby’s’ launch into space next month.
In addition to participating in developing the satellite, the students obtained a Master’s degree in Space Systems Engineering which they have successfully completed.
At the low-key handover ceremony, were security minister Maj Gen Jim Muhwezi, Raphael Magezi (Local Government), Chris Baryomunsi (ICT), and Eng Irene Ssewankambo, the acting Executive Director of Uganda Communications Commission (UCC). The ceremony was hosted by the Minister of Science and Technology in the President’s Office, Hon Dr. Monica Musenero.
During the ceremony, Dr. Agaba revealed the satellite would be tentatively launched into space by August but in an interview with ResearchFinds News this morning, she said the dates kept changing, and finally the nation has a definite answer.
“The satellite was transported to JAXA (in Japan) for final tests, and then handed over to NASA on 18th May 2022 for transport to the International Space Station from where it will be launched into the Low Earth Orbit,” said Dr. Doreen Agaba, the Team Leader, Aeronautics and Space Science, at Science Technology and Innovation-Secretariat in Uganda.
Dr. Agaba told the gathering at OPM in May that following the handover, a group of Ugandans, with the help of the three students, will be tasked to install Ground Sensor Terminals (GSTs) in Uganda to facilitate communication to the satellite.
Minister Musenero on the other hand noted that it will later be handed to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), a U.S. government agency to conduct its launch into space after undergoing all required tests.
“In addition to the information received from PearAfricaSat-1, Uganda has been given an opportunity to utilize services of other satellites operated under the Joint Global Multi-Nation Birds Satellite (BIRDS) project,” she said.
Speaking during the handover, the Minister for Science Technology and Innovation, Hon. Dr. Monica Musenero Masanza said the handover was is a remarkable day in the history of Uganda, as the nation celebrates the successful completion of Uganda’s first satellite.
Speaker after speaker who included Local Government Minister Raphael Magezi challenged the Ugandan space team to devote more time to explaining to Ugandans the benefits of constructing a space program.
This promoted Musenero to reveal that: “As a country, the development of PearAfricaSat-1 presents opportunities for the development of subsequent satellites locally in Uganda, meaning our engineers and scientists will be providing practical solutions to the challenges (agriculture, security, weather forecasts, climate change, infrastructure monitoring, etc.) facing the Ugandan citizens as well as boosting the country’s internal capacity to develop the space science and technology industrial value chain,” she said.
The gathering was told the country stands to gain from the satellite in many ways including precision agriculture, the ability to predict catastrophes such as floods, hailstorms, landslides, mountain cracks, epidemics, and weather patterns, and devise mechanisms to prepare well and respond in time to save lives.
“This in the end will tie into the socio-economic system of the nation and help solve our economic challenges, income deficits, unemployment, and disease,” Dr. Agaba responded.
“What this means for Uganda is new jobs, new careers, new training opportunities, ability to predict weather better by farmers and hence more yields, disasters, and act appropriately, “added Dr. Musenero.
She revealed that with the new satellite, Uganda will be able to predict better, especially disasters such as locust invasions, army worm infestation, and also sell information to neighboring countries.”
She added the satellite is an ambitious project, and the country will leverage it to develop a robust space sector.
“We see space services as an enabler to our economy from which numerous sectors of our country will benefit,” she said.
About the BIRDS Project
The BIRDS Project was initiated in 2015 by the Kyushu Institute of Technology, Japan with the help of over ten partner institutions.
It was envisioned by Dr. Mengu Cho, Professor at Kyutech, who became the Principal Investigator for the Project. The BIRDS Project trains graduate students from many developing countries in using innovative and cost-effective systems engineering during the course of a two-year satellite project.
The BIRDS project was selected by the Global Engineering Deans Council (GEDC) as the winner of the 2017 GEDC Airbus Diversity Award for diversity in engineering.
The Project has provided training for students from many countries including Uganda, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Egypt, Ghana, Malaysia, Mongolia, Nepal, Nigeria, Paraguay, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Thailand, and Turkey.
More Benefits:
The PearlAfricaSat-1 has been specifically designed to provide research and observation data that will provide solutions in the following areas;
The weather forecast, Land, Water bodies and Mineral mapping, Agriculture monitoring, Disaster prevention, Infrastructure Planning, and Border Security.
Once positioned, the country is expected to benefit from easing data gathering, especially on weather forecasts, which Uganda has depended on for information for a long time from other countries.
Dr. Agaba notes that the effects of climate change such as drought have always taken Uganda by surprise since they lack accurate data.
The country is also expected to benefit from the satellite once positioned in the international space for easy monitoring of pests such as desert locust invasion, and monitoring the East African Crude Oil pipeline, among others.
Background:
In April 2020, Uganda began the path to launch its first satellite into space by sending three graduate students to obtain training in satellite design, manufacture, and testing, as part of a multinational program known as the BIRDS-5 project.
One of the requirements for their training was to develop a cube satellite which is Uganda’s first satellite named PearlAfricaSat-1.
The BIRDS-5, which is being implemented in collaboration with Kyushu Institute of Technology (Kyutech) in Japan, has four key objectives:
One: To develop, test, and launch Uganda’s first satellite into space.
Two: To offer specialized training on satellite development to Ugandan graduate engineers, from mission conception/definition to satellite disposal.
Three: To establish Uganda’s first satellite communications network.
Four: To establish a space laboratory in Uganda, to facilitate knowledge transfer and construction of subsequent satellites to develop the Space Technology Industrial Value Chain.
He Is A Longtime Journalist In Uganda Who Has Served As A Cab Reporter And Later On As Bureau Chief At Daily Monitor Newspaper From 1999 To 2001. In June 2001, He Co-Founded Uganda’s First English Tabloid Newspaper, Red Pepper Where He Has Served In Various Capacities From Managing Editor To Advertising Director, Ending His Career As Marketing And Digital Media Director In 2020.
A Holder Of A Master Of Science In Marketing From Salford University And Currently A Ph.D. Fellow In Journalism And Communication At Makerere University, Rugyendo Is A Desmond Tutu Fellow, Crans Montana New Leader, And Chairman Of Young Engineers Uganda And Uganda Premier League.
