Satellite data could support IoT for industry, security and safety
Uganda will launch debut satellite PearlAfricaSat-1 today (November 7) according to America’s National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) after the event was postponed by a fire alarm at the operations control centre.
Uganda’s partnership the Kyushu Institute of Technology (Kyutech) in Japan and involved training three graduate engineers to design, build, test and launch Uganda’s first satellite. The satellite was developed by Ugandan engineers Edgar Mujuni, Bonny Omara, and Derrick Tebusweke.
According to the founding engineers, the PearlAfricaSat-1 will help provide research and observation data in six primary areas including weather forecast; land, water and mineral mapping; agriculture monitoring; infrastructure planning; border security and disaster prevention.
The development of the satellite is part of the Joint Global Multi-Nation Birds Satellite Project that began in October 2019 after President Museveni directed the development of a National Space Agency and Institute.
“Today’s planned CRS18 launch has been scrubbed due to a fire alarm at the mission operations control center in Dulles, Virginia. Liftoff of the Cygnus spacecraft is now set for Nov. 7 at 5:27am ET (10:27 UTC). We’ll go live at 5am,” NASA said in a statement.
“The Cygnus spacecraft and Antares rocket remain healthy at the Wallops launch site,” said NASA. “The next launch attempt will be Monday, Nov. 7, in a five-minute window that opens at 5:27 a.m. EST. Weather for that window is currently forecast as 75% favourable: High pressure looks to continue to provide tranquil weather to the Mid-Atlantic before breezy conditions impact the Wallops area Tuesday.”