RIDE Space, the Djibouti Ministry of Higher Education and Research, and the Centre Spatial Universitaire de Montpellier (CSUM) have partnered to design and integrate Djibouti’s second nanosatellite, Djibouti-1B, onto Momentus’s Vigoride vehicle, in preparation for launch aboard the Falcon 9.

Tagged Project Hydrosat, the partnership offers ten African students the opportunity to participate in the satellite project. Like its predecessor, the Djibouti-1B will meet the Djibouti Center for Study and Research’s (CERD) data collection needs by transmitting the data generated by the meteorological stations to the Missions Control Center located in Djibouti and providing the necessary tools to keep track of the changes in water resources.

The Djibouti-1B will have the crucial mission of closely monitoring key Djibouti regions to collect essential climate data and precisely detect areas affected by drought and water scarcity in Djibouti.

The satellite is projected to launch in February 2024.