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Hurray! NigeriaSat-1 is one
By Onche Odeh, Science Reporter, Lagos
Last Monday was exactly one year after Nigeria’s first satellite, NigeriaSat-1, was shot into the earth’s orbit.
It was celebrations galore at the National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA) centre in Abuja as the agency marked the 365th day of NigeriaSat-1 in orbit.
The celebration was considered worthy because NigeriaSat-1, Nigeria’s first-ever indigenous satellite, has survived the tides amid yells of skepticism, and still working well. Reports from the space centre in Abuja said the satellite makes so many passages across the centre every other day with the archival records showing that thousands of satellite images have been sent and retrieved from the satellite.
The success of NigeriaSat-1 is touted to serve as a prelude for the launch of the second satellite, NigeriaSat-2, and a communication satellite christened NIGCOMSAT-1 slated for 2007. Both are supposed to operate with higher resolution than NigeriaSat-1.
Science and Technology Minister, Turner Isoun, who spoke at the anniversary celebration of NigeriaSat-1, said the Nigeria space programme was expanding, and commended the National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA) for its laudable efforts in the growth and development of space technology in the country.
According to Isoun, Nigeria's incursion into space technology has enabled it to build indigenous competence in that field of learning.
He said indigenous competence was being developed in a collaborative programme with the technical partner, Surrey Satellite Technology Company, which is located in the United Kingdom.
Recently, 15 Nigerian engineers and scientists were sent on training to South Africa, one of Nigeria’s technical partners on satellite technology.
The science and technology minister said these scientists were currently using the knowledge they acquired from the technical partner to develop the country's satellite technology as they are currently in charge of operations at the base station in Abuja.
Isoun, who also spoke on the performance of NigeriaSat-1, said, “I am particularly pleased and delighted to inform Nigerians that the satellite is performing well and living up to expectations.”
The Vice President, Alhaji Abubakar Atiku, who spoke on the rationale behind the launch of the satellite, said the involvement of government in space technology was aimed at improving the living standard of the citizenry and also bring about purposeful development to the country.
To achieve these objectives, he said the government had provided the necessary infrastructure to facilitate the development of science and technology to enable it serve as an engine of growth and development.
Beyond the political intonation observers and sceptics would want to spot in the vice president’s statement, it is worth noting that the present administration may have achieved a milestone in the areas of space information and communication science evident in the launch of the NigeriaSat-1.
Currently, government has formulated three policies in strategic areas of space, communication and other sciences. These are space science and technology, Information Technology (IT) and biotechnology to provide the roadmap for technological development.
Atiku also stated that government was pleased with the performance of the satellite. Consequently, it is considering building a permanent site of NASRDA and its agencies in Lugbe, Abuja.
The vice-president performed the foundation laying ceremony of the project during the anniversary of NigeriaSat-1 last week.
The multi-billion naira project consists of NASRDA's administrative building, the ground receiving station, centre for satellite technology development building and a planetarium. It will cost the government more than N530 million under phase one development of the site.
A team of six contractors and five consultants are currently undertaking the landmark project, which will be constructed in phases.
Meanwhile, the 15 young Nigerian engineers manning the operations of the satellite attended the anniversary, which took the form of a dinner party, including officials of the agency and a cross section of Nigerians and science experts.
The NigeriaSat-1 is in constellation with other seven satellites across Africa and other parts of the world bringing images from locations across the globe. It is made up of a Disaster Monitoring Constellation, which aids in anticipation and monitoring of natural disasters in the country.
Above all, it is hoped that the success of the NigeriaSat-1 in space would translate into greater and deeper incursions in the field of science and technology development in the country. NigeriaSat-1 being celebrated now in Nigeria is far inferior in terms of resolution and efficiency to what obtains elsewhere in the world.
It may well be a starting point for the country, but it would do the country more good if speed is added to bring this area of science almost at par with what others are doing. Nigeria cannot afford to do less especially at a time other countries are making unimaginable advances in this field.
Only last week, China launched a recoverable satellite into orbit.
The recoverable satellite was launched into a preset orbit atop a Long March 2-Dimension carrier rocket in northwest China.
Scientists said the satellite was running sound at a preset orbit. It is said to be the 20th recoverable satellite for scientific and technological experiments China has launched so far.
This is a poser for Nigeria considering the fact that China was no different from Nigeria, economically in the not too distant past and with the experience of Nigerian-born scientist such as Austin Esegbue, who plies his profession under the most respected agencies and authorities in sciences across the globe, such feat should not beyond Nigeria. The political will and motivation would do the magic.
The satellite was launched into space on September 27, 2003 in Russia.
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