Which african country launched its first operational earth observation satellite named ‘taifa-1’ in 2023?

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Nine Kenyan engineers created the satellite, which will gather information on agriculture and the environment, including information on floods, droughts, and wildfires, which the government intends to utilize to manage disasters and fight food shortages. This report is courtesy of the American news agency, Reuters. "We have the challenges that have been brought about by climate change, which the satellite, by virtue of being able to capture images (will be able to help monitor)", Capt. Alloyce Were, an aeronautical engineer and deputy director of Navigation and Positioning at the government-run Kenya Space Agency, told Reuters on Friday before the satellite's launch.

[1/4] A model of a prototype of a 3U Earth observation satellite, the Taifa-1, is displayed ahead of the launch of Kenya's first operational satellite, at the University of Nairobi's Taifa Hall in Nairobi, Kenya April 14, 2023. Taifa-1 is designed and developed by SayariLabs and EnduroSat, and will be... Read more NAIROBI, April 14 (Reuters) - Kenya launched its first operational earth observation satellite on Saturday onboard a SpaceX rocket from the United States, a live feed from Elon Musk's rocket company showed. The satellite, developed by nine Kenyan engineers, will collect agricultural and environmental data, including on floods, drought and wildfires, that authorities plan to use for disaster management and to combat food insecurity. The Falcon 9 rocket carrying the Taifa-1 satellite, took off at about 0648 GMT without incident from Vandenberg Base in California, after three postponements due to bad weather. "Taifa-1 separation confirmed," Space X said in its broadcast when the satellite was released about an hour and four minutes after the rocket's launch. "We have the challenges that have been brought about by climate change, which the satellite, by virtue of being able to capture images (will be able to help monitor)", Capt. Alloyce Were, an aeronautical engineer and deputy director of Navigation and Positioning at the government-run Kenya Space Agency, told Reuters on Friday before the satellite's launch. "We can monitor forest changes, we can monitor urbanisat...

Elon Musk’s SpaceX Company Wednesday delayed the launch of Kenya’s first earth observation satellite by a further 48 hours. They cited unfavourable weather conditions at the launch base in California. The acting director of Space Regulation Exploration and Utilization at Kenya Space Agency Lt Col Andrew Nyawade announced Wednesday morning the launch had been pushed to April 14. “We have received communication that the launch of the first operational satellite in Kenya will be delayed till 14th April 2023 due to strong winds in the upper atmosphere,” he said. This will be the second time the launch is being delayed due to bad weather. The satellite named Nation-1, or Taifa-1 in Swahili, was to be deployed aboard a Falcon 9 rocket alongside other satellites from other countries on Tuesday. A statement from the Kenya Space Agency had Tuesday said the delay was due to unfavourable upper-level wind conditions” that would affect the rocket’s flight trajectory. The launch, according to the statement on Tuesday said it was expected to take place on Wednesday, April 12 at Vandenberg Air Force Base, but that has been pushed further by two days. The main mission of the satellite will be to provide data for use in agriculture, food security, land management, and environmental monitoring. Taifa-1 was fully designed and developed by a team of Kenyan engineers with testing done in collaboration with a Bulgarian aerospace manufacturer. The country was all set to witness the historic launc...

Kenya’s first operational observational satellite, Taifa-1’s launch was initially meant to take place on Tuesday, April 11, before being rescheduled to Friday, April 14, due to unbalanced weather conditions. The weather conditions did not improve by Friday, so the launch was postponed 28 seconds before lift-off and pushed to Saturday, April 15, at 9:44 am. The satellite was built by a team of nine Kenya Space Agency (KSA) engineers, costing Ksh.50 million. (about $380,000). The team collaborated with Endurosat AD, a Bulgarian aerospace manufacturer that supplied components of the satellite’s body. are the other African countries that have launched the most satellites since 2016. Designed by The observation satellite is “fully designed and developed” by Kenyan engineers and will be used to provide data on agriculture and food security, among other areas, a statement from the defence ministry and the Kenya Space Agency said. “The mission is an important milestone,” the statement said, adding that it would contribute significantly to the country’s “budding space economy”. An East African economic powerhouse, Kenya is suffering its worst drought in decades after five failed rain seasons. The satellite launch adds to a push by African nations for scientific innovation and the development of space programmes. The Taifa 1 Mission Taifa-1 Sat is Kenya’s first operational earth observation satellite. It is equipped with an optical camera that takes pictures simultaneously in multis...