As promised by the government in November 2019, Uganda is launching its first satellite in outer space in a national space program today in a revelation that was confirmed by the ministry of science, technology, and innovations (MoSTI).
In April 2020 the government took a significant step towards this goal by sending three engineers: Edgar Mujuni, Derick Tebusweke, and Bonny Omara to obtain training in satellite design, build, test, launch, and operation as part of the BIRDS-5 project, led by Kyushu Institute of Technology, Japan.
On May 10 2022 the satellite built by Ugandan engineers, dubbed the PearlAfricaSat1 was handed over to the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) for final testing. The satellite successfully completed all tests and was later handed over to the United States of America’s National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) for launch and deployment.
The launch to the International Space Station will take place today Sunday, 6th November 2022 at 1:30 EAT. The satellite will subsequently be deployed into low earth orbit later in December 2022. Uganda is also setting up an Earth Station at Mpoma, Mukono for command, control, and management of our satellite here in Uganda, by Ugandans.
PearlAfricaSat1 has a multispectral camera payload that will provide research and observation of high-resolution image data to support weather forecasting; land, water, and mineral mapping; agriculture monitoring; infrastructure planning: border security, and disaster prevention. With our own data, analysis and prediction of weather, water quality, soil fertility, landslides, and drought will be more efficient. The satellite will also play a vital role in planning, resource management, and environmental impact assessment in our oil and gas industry.
You can watch the launch via UBC TV, NASA TV
