Kenya launched its first satellite from the United States on April 15, thanks to a partnership with the American company SpaceX.
Dubbed Taifa-1, the satellite designed and developed by a team of Kenyan researchers was launched from the Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, US.
It was launched on board a SpaceX rocket.
The mission of the spacecraft is to provide data in the areas of agriculture, food security, natural resource and disaster management.
Kenyan authorities have mentioned possible uses for predicting drought-related disasters and thus speeding up the response of emergency programs.
Following the launch, Kenya enters a very close circle of African countries with a satellite.
Egypt was the first African country to send a satellite into space in 1998.
Later, a dozen African countries also own more than 40 satellites in total, according to the Space in Africa platform.
Taifa-1 launch
Taifa-1 was launched on Monday, April 10 with the help of Space Exploration Technologies Corporation (SpaceX), from Vandenberg Base, California, USA aboard Falcon-9 Rocket.
The satellite is designed to provide precise and timely earth observation satellite data to stakeholders in the diverse fields of application.
It will be loaded with hyperspectral, earth-observation camera that will empower customers with environmental, wildlife, agricultural monitoring, and land use mapping, in their mission of preventing the calamities in the region.
The observation satellite is expected to contribute significantly to the country’s budding space economy.
It will also aim to develop Kenya’s technical capacity on the whole value chain of space technology development and applications.
The launch of Taifa-1 followed a partnership between SayariLabs and EnduroSat.
EnduroSat and SayariLabs signed an MOU dedicated to space systems and engineering, covering all aspects of mission analysis, design, and space craft assembly for the engineering team of SayariLabs.
Taifa-1 cost
Taifa-1 was built at a cost of Ksh 50 million.
The assembly and development of the outfit were done by Kenyan engineers, making the build cost-effective.
The manufacturing of parts and their testing was done in collaboration with a Bulgarian aerospace manufacturer, Endurosat AD.
How will Taifa-1 benefit Kenya?
With the launch of Taifa-1, Kenya will be able to independently access data for decision support to combat climate change and improve agriculture and food security.
The satellite’s mission aims to provide critical data to assist in policy-making, infrastructure planning, and natural resource management.
Taifa-1 will also provide an opportunity to assess the impact of climate change on natural resources, including water resources and ecosystems.
The data will enable decision-makers to plan for and mitigate the impacts of climate change in various sectors.
The launch of Taifa-1 observation satellite also marks a significant milestone for Kenya’s space program, placing the country among the few African nations with a satellite in orbit.
Egypt was the first African country to send a satellite into space in 1998.
Taifa-1 engineers
Taifa-1, a 3U earth observation satellite, was worked on by among other engineers Rose Wanjiku, Paterne Odhiambo and Captain Aloyce Were.
Wanjiku, an aerospace engineer, is the project lead.
Peterne Odhiambo, an electrical and electronics engineer, was tasked by making sure the satellite communicates effectively.
“My task is to basically design the radio link, there is something we call the link budget, how much power does the satellite have to transmit for it to be able to reach the ground station?
“So as the satellite takes images, it shouts to the ground station saying this is what I have seen and then the ground station picks it up and we take it up as human operators and we can act on the same information,” he explained.
On the other hand, Captain Were is a mechanical and structural engineer.
“When we talk of 3U we’re talking about 3 units of cubes. In satellite technology, one cube measures 10cm by 10 cm by 10 cm. So for TAIFA-1 it is a 3 stat unit which is a 10 by 10 by 30,” said Were.
He added; “The satellite will fly in a horizontal position with deployable solar panels, so that they get maximum illumination of the solar energy from the sun
“Aluminium has better thermal characteristics and equally it has good characteristics to withstand the harsh space environment.”
