DARA is using astronomy to play a leading role in the emergence of new economies in Africa
Development in Africa with Radio Astronomy (DARA) is a joint UK-South Africa Newton Fund human capital development project to help drive economic development in Africa.
This project aims to develop high tech skills using radio astronomy in a number of African countries. Radio astronomy encompasses all of the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) skills that underpin the…
DARA is using astronomy to play a leading role in the emergence of new economies in Africa
Development in Africa with Radio Astronomy (DARA) is a joint UK-South Africa Newton Fund human capital development project to help drive economic development in Africa.
This project aims to develop high tech skills using radio astronomy in a number of African countries. Radio astronomy encompasses all of the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) skills that underpin the…
Russia to build AngoSat-2 by 2020 to replace AngoSat-1
Few months after the celebratory launch of Angola’s first Satellite, the project has been finally declared defunct by Russia—which had partly funded the project.
In December 2017, Angola joined the elite number of African countries with Satellites including Nigeria, South Africa, Egypt & Ghana with the launch of the AngoSat-1, a communications satellite built for almost $3oo million from the…
AngoSat-1 Defunct Four Months After Launch
Angola's first satellite has been officially declared defunct by Russia, which had partially funded the South African nation's space project. The AngoSat-1, a communications satellite built for almost $300m, was launched late December from the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.
Shortly after launch, communication with the device was lost.
Despite restoring contact several days later, the…
Aerial & Maritime to offer global air traffic management and ship tracking services by 2021 addressing a $1bn market
ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization) has stated that space-based air traffic surveillance will be a cornerstone of the modernization of air traffic management. Currently, there is no way to monitor air traffic in large parts of the world, including the oceans, Africa and areas around the poles. A&M will be using the flight-proven GomSpace nanosatellite technology.
The system will…
From Kenya into Space: Why Kenya should win the renewed African space race
On 26th April, 1967, an Italian owned satellite was blasted off into the outer space from Kenya, a first 'giant leap' for the African continent in space exploration.
With enthusiasm, the NASA trained Italian satellite and aerospace engineers began the sequence countdown to initiate ignition of American made Nike Apache sounding rocket, marking a beginning of space exploration in Kenya and…
AfDB and African Institute of Mathematics and Science signs a $54.685 million partnership deal
The African Development Bank and the African Institute of Mathematics and Sciences (AIMS) have initiated a landmark relationship aimed at building an industry-led research institution in the league of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Former President of Nigeria, Olusegun Obasanjo, led a delegation of the High-Level Advisory Council of AIMS to a meeting with the African Development Bank…
MIT Space Enabled Research Team is in West Africa
In 2017, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Media Lab established the Space Enabled Research Group with the aim of Advancing justice in Earth's complex systems using designs enabled by space. The research group which is led by Dr. Danielle Wood is in Ghana and Benin Republic, meeting with representatives of start up companies, government agencies and universities to explore research…
Call for an Astronaut program in Africa
In 2006, the World Space Week launched the World Space Week Youth Inspiration Project which sent students into simulated zero-gravity to experience flying in space. The students flew on the Zero G plane which simulates the weightlessness of space. The project uses the excitement of space to inspire students globally to excel in school. As a pilot project, a high school student from Nigeria,…
Rwanda’s satellite to monitor progress on SDGs
Rwanda is probably not what you'd think of as top contender in Africa's space tech scene. It's small, landlocked and has a troubled past. The population is also small, just topping 12 million, which is less than half of Lagos and, on average, salaries are $700 a year. But none of that is stopping the country from pushing ahead in a big way.
Rwanda is currently readying itself for satellite…