Mako Jerera
Zimbabwe reached a historic milestone today, 5th November 2024, with the successful launch of its second earth observation satellite, ZimSat-2, into orbit, from Russia.
The update was delivered to the Cabinet by the Minister of Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science, and Technology Development, Honourable Frederick Shava, marking a key achievement in Zimbabwe’s Vision 2030 development agenda.
Speaking at the Post Cabinet briefing on Tuesday, Information, Publicity, and Broadcasting Services Minister Dr Jenfan Muswere said, the satellite was designed and manufactured through a collaborative research programme between the Zimbabwe National Geospatial and Space Agency (ZINGSA) and Southwest State University in Russia.
“The satellite was designed for earth observations and data collection in agriculture, environmental protection and natural resource management. ZimSat-2 will monitor the earth and support missions that keep track of crop health, predict yields and identify nutrient deficiencies.
“Developed using modern technologies, ZimSat-2 demonstrates high efficiency and reliability and is a key milestone in the development of our nation as we work towards Vision 2030,” he said.
ZimSat-1 was launched from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia, United States, as part of the BIRDS-5 constellation, along with Uganda’s Pear AfricaSat-1.
The satellites were then released from the Japanese Kibo module on the International Space Station on November 21, 2022.
Zimbabwe is among a handful of African countries that include South Africa, Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya and Rwanda that have satellites in orbit.
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