Nigeria launches satellites

[Haris]

Nigeria launches world's
most advanced satellites



The satellites, NigeriaSat-2 and NigeriaSat-X, are now on the rocket speed
journey to orbit.

After successfully completing pre-launch tests, both satellites were
lunched from Russian satellite launch service provider, Dnepr at 8AM on
August 16.

The ground receiving centre in Abuja was switched on Wednesday morning
immediately after the satellites were launched.

The launch of the satellites from the ground station was monitored by the
director of the Centre for Space Technology and Development, Spencer
Onuh.

Other top scientists and officials of the Ministry of Science and Technology
were also present.

The National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA) and
proponents of Nigeria’s venture into space claimed that this achievement
was a giant stride towards improving the socio-economic life of Nigerians.

The satellites which were constructed under a training and development
programme are expected to beam back images and services to earth using
their high resolution imaging capability.

Space expert, Tunde Ayoola, advised Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan
to urgently constitute a panel to oversee the sale of images from the two
satellites.

“Nigeria cannot continue to budget heavily for projects of this nature
without tracking its income and expenditures,” Ayoola told reporters.

NASRDA urged Nigeria to utilise its space exploits to solve some of its
socio-economic problems.
The agency said the country’s space policy would help develop Nigerian
engineers, scientists and technicians, who can design, fabricate, build and
manufacture hardware and software for space science and other purposes.


http://www.theafricareport.com/archi...atellites.html

[graveyardofempires]

wow
nigerian friends of mine would be bragging abotu this now.

[Haris]

Nigerian satellites are
picture perfect



A view of Auckland, New Zealand, is the first image released from the Nigerian spacecraft


Nigeria's latest Earth observation satellites have returned their first pictures.

The spacecraft, launched on 17 August, give the African nation a powerful new
capability to map its own lands and other parts of the globe.

NigeriaSat-2 and NigeriaSat-X will also assist the Disaster Monitoring Constellation.

This UK-managed fleet of spacecraft is used to picture regions of the Earth gripped by
natural calamities.

These might be catastrophic floods or a big earthquake. Images sent down from space
will often be critical to organising an effective emergency response.

The first picture released from the Nigerian pair is of New Zealand's biggest city,
Auckland.

It was acquired by NigeriaSat-X, and reveals the buildings and the landscape
surrounding this major urban centre.

It is just possible to see the wakes of ships passing under the harbour bridge that
joins downtown Auckland with North Shore City.

The satellite is equipped with a multi-spectral imager for general mapping, agricultural
monitoring and disaster relief work.

The resolution in this picture is 22m per pixel. Vegetation is picked out in red.


Nigerian engineers built NigeriaSat-X with the help of
their British counterparts

Both NigeriaSat-X and NigeriaSat-2 were designed and built by Surrey Satellite
Technology Limited (SSTL) in Guildford, UK.

What is interesting about NigeriaSat-X is that the work was undertaken by Nigerian
engineers themselves. The skills they have learnt will now be taken home so that they
can build future spacecraft in their own country.

It is a model previously followed by Turkey. Its engineers received their education at
SSTL as well, and the same rocket that launched the Nigerian platforms also launched Rasat.

This remote sensing satellite (7.5m resolution) is the first to have been developed and
manufactured in Turkey by Turkish engineers.

SSTL Executive Chairman, Sir Martin Sweeting, commented: "NigeriaSat-X is the
product of Nigeria's training and development programme here at Surrey.

"It is a great credit to NASRDA (National Space Research and Development Agency)
and their engineers that this satellite is performing well and its operations are
progressing so quickly.

"These highly skilled engineers will not only help Nigeria to manage its resources, but
also bootstrap its fledgling high-tech economy alongside a growing nucleus of highly
trained people."

A first picture should be released from NigeriaSat-2 in the coming days. This is a much
more powerful platform, able to resolve details on the Earth's surface just 2.5m
across.

Few countries in the world have access to such a capability.



BBC News - Nigerian satellites are picture perfect