Rwanda is getting ready to launch its first telecoms satellite – a year ahead of schedule.

This milestone forms part of the Rwanda Space Project strategy, which was established after the East African nation signed an agreement with the Japanese government on Africa’s space inclusion in May 2018.

As reported by IT News Africa, the Japan International Co-operation Agency and the Japan Space Agency has been ‘training Rwandan engineers in fabricating local satellites in big data, weather and space technology’. To date, six engineers have received training.

Originally scheduled for 2020, the satellite will be launched from the International Space Station by May this year. It will be used for Earth observation and to gather weather-related data that is crucial to agriculture.

12 February 2019
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