Ethiopia launched its first space satellite with China’s help
Ethiopia launched its first observatory satellite into space on Friday (Dec. 20), according to local reports.
The 70 kilogram remote sensing satellite
is to 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 for example.
The satellite will operate from space around 700 kilometers above the surface of earth.
The launch, which was originally scheduled for September, took place at 03.21hours GMT from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in Xinzhou, Shanxi Province, China.
The satellite was carried on board a Long March 4B rocket.
The Chinese satellite was designed and built at a cost of $8 million, with China paying around $6 million of the capsule’s price, according to the head of the Ethiopian Space Science and Technology Institute (ESSTI) at Addis Ababa University.
Quartz Africa
https://qz.com/africa/1772671/ethiopia-launched-its-first-space-satellite-with-chinas-help/