Ethiopia has partnered the Chinese government to launch its first satellite into space in December 2019. The Chinese government revealed the launch at a tech event organized in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
This launch makes Ethiopia the right African country to launch satellites into the orbit.
The satellite is a 70kg multispectral remote sensing satellite dubbed ETRSS-1. It will be launched in China with a base command and control center in Ethiopia. The base will be located at the Entoto Space Observatory Facility.
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It is pertinent to note that technology has a high acceptance level in Ethiopia. Beyond this, the move to embrace tech and progress technological spurred many countries to launch satellites into the orbit.
Satellites make several tech improvements possible and enable the host country to improve its communication system, explore and map the earth, and effectively predict weather forecast.
According to the Minister of Innovation and Technology, Ethiopia, Getahun Mekuria, the ETRSS-1 satellite will help transform agriculture and get modernize weather prediction in East African Countries. It will also support the development of green energy, forest resource monitoring, security management, and infrastructure development in Ethiopia.