ETRSS-1 will be stationed in 700km away from the earth, and is expected to monitor the environment and weather patterns for better agricultural planning, drought early warning, mining activities and forestry management of the country.
By Joseph Ibeh (Space in Africa)
A Chinese Long March 4B rocket (CZ-4B) blasted off into space on 20 December 2019 carrying onboard Ethiopia’s first remote sensing satellite, ETRSS-1, at 03:21 GMT from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in Shanxi Province, China.
The flight which was earlier scheduled for 17 December was scrubbed for three days due to unfavorable weather. The 3-stage orbital carrier rocket ferried Ethiopia’s ETRSS-1 satellite as a secondary payload and the CBERS 4A remote sensing satellite as a primary payload. CBERS 4A is the fifth China-Brazil Earth Resources Satellite for the collection of global imagery for environmental, urban planning and agricultural applications.
The 70kg multi-spectral civil Earth observation will provide data for Ethiopia’s authorities and research institutions to monitor the environment and study weather patterns for better agricultural planning, early warning for drought, mining activities and forestry management.
The satellite was developed by the China Academy of Space Technology (CAST), the prime contractor, in collaboration with 21 Ethiopian scientists, trained on the project as part of the technology-transfer agreement between Beijing and the Ethiopian Space Science Technology Institute (ESSTI).
The satellite project was developed in collaboration with the Chinese government and reportedly cost USD 8 million for the design, construction and in-orbit delivery of the satellite including the cost of setting up the ground station in Ethiopia. China provided USD 6 million in funding for the satellite and trained Ethiopian engineers while the Ethiopian government provided USD 2 million counterpart funding for the ground station facilities which are located at the Entoto Space Observatory near Addis Ababa.
Earlier this year, the Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed visited the China Academy of Space Technology to inspect the satellite, during his stay in China when he attended the second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation that was held from 25 to 27 April in Beijing.
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