In Kenya, nanosatellite development is gathering pace, with five universities presenting demo models following research grants awarded in 2020.

The initiative was introduced in October last year by the Kenyan Space Agency in a bid to ‘catalyse and promote research in space science and technology in local universities, and to build human capacity in these disciplines’. The agency invited the selected public universities to participate in the project, giving them KES1 million each for nanosatellite research development.

The University of Nairobi, Moi University, Kenyatta University, Technical University of Kenya and Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology recently presented their models. Of those, three will be chosen for further development, with additional funding from the agency.

26 October 2021
Image: Kenyan Space Agency