Ethiopia launched its first satellite into space on Friday morning 20 December 2019, in the country’s efforts to reach their development goals and encourage scientific innovation. 

Senior officials and citizens gathered at the Entoto Observatory and Research Centre, north of the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa, to watch a live broadcast of the satellite’s launch from a space station in China.

What you need to know about the ETRSS-1 satellite 

Ethiopia’s first satellite, named ETRSS-1, was launched on Friday, December 20 at 6:21 local time. 

The satellite will operate from space at about 700km above the surface of the Earth. ETRSS-1 will be the 99th satellite to travel to space in 2019.

Collaborative effort with China

The satellite was manufactured in collaboration between Ethiopian engineers in China and the Chinese government, which paid $6-million (R85.5-million) of the more than $7-million (R99.7-million) manufacturing costs. 

What the satellite will be used for 

According to Quartz Africa, the 70kg remote sensing satellite will be used for agricultural, climate, mining and environmental observations, allowing the Horn of Africa to collect data and improve its ability to plan for changing weather patterns. 

According to the Addis Standard, Ethiopia’s minister of innovation and technology (MoIT), Getahun Mekuria, said that China helped train 20 Ethiopian space engineers both in China and in Ethiopia, using experienced Chinese personnel. 

Watch: Ethiopia launches satellite

Satellite launching ceremony 

Getahun said that a team of Ethiopian senior officials, trained engineers, members of the house of people’s representatives, officials from Ethiopia’s Space Science Institute and journalists travelled to the Shanxi province, in north China, to witness the launching ceremony.

Simultaneously, the launch was attended by senior officials from its command and control centre at the Entoto space observatory facility 8 000km away in Addis Ababa. 

A display showing the shape of ETRSS-1 was also unveiled for public viewing at Addis Abeba’s Mesqel square. 

Africa reaches for the stars 

As satellites get smaller and cheaper, an increasing number of African nations are declaring their plans to look skyward. 

Countries, including Kenya, Egypt, Nigeria, South Africa and Morocco, have partnered to launch or launched their own programmes to power their own scientific ambitions. 

In January 2018, China gave $550-million (R7.8-billion) to Nigeria for the purchase of two satellites from Chinese manufacturers, both of which are slated for launch in 2020.