i think african countries now realised how useful is technology to development,these made many african countries made bold step in scientific research.
nigeria: for example,.. is no more new to space technology and scientific research.
what is the news in your country about modern science and technology?
new and views!!:banana:

FG plans 25-year space development plan[

Oluyinka Akintunde, Abuja

President Olusegun Obasanjo has approved a 25-year plan for the development of space science and technology for the country.


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The Minister of Science and Technology, Prof. Turner Isoun, stated this on Wednesday in Abuja, at the opening of the First African Leadership Conference on Space Science and Technology for Sustainable Development in Abuja.

Isoun, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Dr. Abdullahi Aliyu, said the 25-year plan would ensure manufacturing and launching of a Nigerian satellite as well as ensuring a Nigerian astronaut in space.

He said, "The blueprint is that within the next 10 years, a Nigerian astronaut will be produced. That is, a Nigerian astronaut will be in space within the next 10 years and in the next 15 years, the blueprint states that a Nigerian satellite, that is a satellite manufactured in Nigeria, will be launched.

"Within the next 25 years, another satellite produced and manufactured in Nigeria will be launched on Nigerian soil. At present, we go to either Russia or Germany to launch our satellite. But within the next 25 years, we should have developed the capability in satellite technology and capability in ability to launch satellite."

African countries jostle for Nigeria satellite

More than ten African countries have indicated their desire to benefit from the operations of the yet-to-be launched Nigeria Commu-nication Satellite, known as NIGCOMSAT-1, Director General of the National Space Research and Devel-opment Agency (NSRDA), Prof. Robert Boroffice, has said.


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Speaking to newsmen in Abuja, the NSRDA boss disclosed that the countries were hoping to notch up a deal on using the communication facility in the areas of telecommunications carriage, navigation, television distribution, direct broadcasting systems (DBS), and digital broadband.

Among the countries that have so far made contact with the agency for possible deal on the facility, according to Boroffice, are Ivory Coast, Egypt, Togo Burkina Faso, Ghana, Senegal, Tunisia and Benin Rep-ublic.

Sudanese firm to invest N32bn in Nigerian satellite


Everest Amaefule, Abuja

Sudanese firm, Elrasid Electronic Trading and Investment Limited, has said it would invest $250million (about N32billion) in Nigeria’s communications satellite, NigComSat –1, billed for inauguration in December.


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Chief Executive Officer, Elrasid, Mr. Khali Alsadiq, expressed the interest in a formal letter of intent to the Director-General of the National Space Research and Development Agency, Prof. Robert Boroffice, on Monday.

The expression of interest followed a letter by President Olusegun Obasanjo, inviting African Heads of State to buy into the project and become partners in the communications satellite.

Alsadiq described Nigeria as one of the strongest nations in Africa that was set to play a role in communications satellite technology.

He said that his organisation had studied the profile of Nigeria’s venture into satellite technology and decided to get involved.

A statement issued by Senior Special Assistant Media, NARSDA, Mr. Felix Ale, on Tuesday, said a delegation from Israeli Gilatsatcom, also visited the facilities of the agency on Monday.

Nigeria gets first African space centre:banana:

From Emeka Anuforo, Abuja

HISTORY was made yesterday in Abuja as Nigeria's dream of becoming the hub of space technology development in Africa received a boost with President Olusegun Obasanjo commissioning the Nigerian Space Centre (NSC).

The centre, said to be the first space centre in Africa, has a ground control station/ network operation centre for communications satellites; houses the ground receiving station for earth observation satellites; and contains the first phase of the Satellite Design Centre/Satellite Assembly, Integration and Test Centre, a multipurpose Conference Centre (under construction) and a Planetarium (under construction).

Some of the ancillary facilities include the utility sub-station and police station.

The centre also houses the administrative building and serves as permanent site for the National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA), among others.

The President, who noted that the establishment of the National Space Technology Centre was critical to the development of space technology in Nigeria and Africa as a whole, maintained that it would assist greatly in realising the country's aspirations in space science and technology.

He said the event marked another milestone in the country's quest to optimise the use of science and technology to promote sustainable national development and improved quality of life for the people.

Noting that space technology is key to the realisation of the Millennium Development Goals and the objectives of "our holistic reform agenda as encapsulated in the NEEDS document, he stated: "It guarantees the availability and speedy access to real-time data and geo-spatial information, as well as the availability of relevant infrastructure and backbone for information communication."

He assured that Nigeria remained committed to the Millennium Development Goals, adding that this commitment had

spurred his administration towards embarking on programmes and initiatives that would effectively address the challenges of poverty, food security, infrastructure development, sustainable energy, affordable health and housing, and protection from natural and man-induced disasters.

He continued: "It is imperative therefore to integrate space technology applications into the various stages of our sustainable development efforts.

"The Federal Government took a bold step by embarking on satellite systems development through the establishment of the National Space Research and Development Agency in 1999 and the approval of the National Space Policy and Programme in 2001. This effort resulted in the launch of the first earth observation satellite, NigeriaSat-1, in September 2003.

"By this unique achievement, Nigeria has registered not only its footprint in space but also its name as a satellite data provider. I am informed that the satellite is performing well and has captured over 2,000 images covering the entire country and different parts of the world. I am pleased to note that

NigeriaSat-1 imagery has been variously applied to tackle some of our socio-economic problems."

He listed such areas of intervention to include Fadama rice production, cassava yield prediction, natural resources management, settlement mapping and transportation planning, gully erosion mitigation, desertification early warning, deforestation monitoring and Niger Delta environmental change monitoring.

Director-General, National Space Research and Development Agency, Prof. Robert Ajayi Boroffice, announced at the occasion that the first Nigerian Communication Satellite (NigComSat-1) project, a critical ICT infrastructure backbone for the entire African continent, would be launched from Xi Chang Launch Centre in China on May 14, 2007.

AlSat 1
SPACECRAFT

Int'l Designation 2002 054A
Launched

Owner / Sponsor Algeria Centre National des Techniques Spatiales
Mission Disaster Monitoring Constellation - Observation
Satellite Bus SSTL Microsat-100

Launch Mass 90 kg (198 lbm)
Mission Orbit SSO / 686 km, circular 98°

Design Life
Power (EOL)

The 90 kg (198 lbm) AlSat-1 is the first spacecraft of an international Disaster Monitoring Constellation. AlSat-1, built by SSTL, will provide wide swath (600 km) 32-meter multispectral images and 1 GByte solid state recorders for high capacity onboard storage of image data and transmission to ground using S-band transmitter. The spacecraft is the result of international cooperation between Algeria, China, Nigeria, Thailand, Turkey, and Vietnam coordinated by SSTL. AlSat-1 will be joined in orbit by four more SSTL-built microsatellites to be launched in mid-2003. Engineers from both Surrey and Algeria built and tested the spacecraft over a 15-month period. AlSat-1 will be operated by Algeria’s Centre National des Techniques Spatiales. This is Algeria's first national satellite. A follow-on constellation with higher imaging resolution capability will begin launches in 2004.



Remote Sensing Microsatellite for Algeria


SSTL developed the AlSAT-1 enhanced microsatellite during a know-how and technology transfer program for the Centre National des Techniques Spatiales (CNTS) of Algeria. AlSAT-1 is the first step in CNTS's plan to develop Algeria's national space infrastructure. The AlSAT-1 programme included the satellite, a mission control station in Arzew, Algeria and hands-on training at Surrey for a team of Algerian engineers.



AlSAT-1 was launched from Plesetsk on a Kosmos launcher in November 2002.
AlSAT-1 carries an optical imaging payload developed by SSTL to provide 32-m ground resolution with an exceptionally wide swath width of over 640 km. The payload uses green, red and near infrared bands equivalent to Landsat TM+ bands 2, 3 and 4. Images are stored in a 9-Gbit solid-state data recorder and returned via an 8-Mbps S-band downlink.

AlSAT-1 can image scenes as large as 640 x 560 km, providing unparalleled wide-area, medium-resolution data. CNTS is distributing the data to other Algerian institutions, which are using it for pollution monitoring, cartography and petrology applications..


AlSAT-1 is also the first satellite in the Disaster Monitoring Constellation--an international programme, coordinated by SSTL, which will provide medium-resolution imagery with daily worldwide revisit






Algeria launchs second satellite
14/09/2005

The launch of the second Algerian satellite, AlSat 2, was announced in Oran on Monday (12 September) during a ceremonial signing of an agreement between the Algerian Space Agency and the Directorate-General of the Forests. The new-generation satellite will offer more accurate photographs and will assist in the monitoring of Algerian forests by providing real-time data on fires. The National Centre of Space Technology developed the satellite tool, providing geographical information to prevent forest fires


AlSat-2 (Algeria Satellite-2)

AlSat-2 is an optical Earth observation project of CNTS (Algerian National Space Technology Centre). In Feb. 2006, CNTS signed an agreement with EADS Astrium SAS to design and built two satellites. The first of these, AlSat-2A, will be integrated and tested in France at EADS Astrium, whereas the second one, AlSat-2B, will be integrated in Algeria within the small satellite development center (UDPS) in Oran. The AlSat-2 program includes the construction of two ground control segments as well as one station for high-speed downlinks of imagery permitting spacecraft operations from Algerian territory, a country of 2.38 million km2 in size. 1) 2) 3) 4)

The cooperation agreement makes provision for Algerian engineers to work side-by-side with the EADS Astrium development team, with intensive training given in space technology. The AlSat-2 contract lays the foundation for sustained co-operation with Algerian institutions in the fields of space technology for Earth observation, and its applications, as well as in the field of telecommunications.

The system will enable Algeria to obtain very high quality images for use in a wide variety of applications: cartography, management of agriculture, forestry, water, mineral and oil resources, crop protection, management of natural disasters and land planning.

The Algerian government created its Space Agency in January 2002, ASAL (Agence Spatiale Algérienne) or Algerian Space Agency, to develop, promote, and manage the countries space program.

Background: AlSat-1 of CNTS is being flown in the DMC (Disaster Monitoring Constellation), a 5 spacecraft optical imaging constellation developed and coordinated by SSTL (Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd), UK. AlSat-1 was launched on Nov. 28, 2002, the spacecraft is operating nominally as of 2007 providing multispectral imagery of 32 m resolution in a swath of 600 km.

Nigeria: Yar'Adua Visits Space Centre

Daily Trust (Abuja)
Daily Trust (Abuja)

4 May 2007
Posted to the web 4 May 2007

Hamisu Muhammad

President-elect, Alhaji Umaru Musa Yar'Adua yesterday conducted a tour of the newly commissioned National Space Centre located along Airport Road in Abuja.

Speaking at the site, Yar'Adua, said the effort of Nigeria in space technology is a testimony to the "ability of the country to attain greatness".
Africa 2007

He described the Space Centre as a national pride and one of the enviable legacies of the present administration, adding that the Centre is a 'monumental achievement.'

Earlier, the President-elect was visited the facilities at the Nigeria Communication Satellite Limited, the ground station of NigeriaSat-1 and the administrative block.
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The National Space Centre, which was commissioned by President Olusegun Obasanjo last Monday is said to be the first of its kind in Africa.

The President-Elect and his entourage were conducted round the Space Centre by the Minister of Science and Technology, Prof. Turner Isoun, Director General of the National Space Research and Development, Prof. Robert Boroffice, and the Managing Director of the Nigeria Communication Satellite Limited, Engr. Ahmed-Rufai among others.

Briefing Yar'Adua on Nigeria's space programme, Isoun stressed that the focus of the National Space Policy was to acquire competency and capability in space technology development through appropriate human resources development and capacity building in making space research and development activities part of the efforts at sustainable national development.

Algeria Buys Two Small Remote Sensing Satellites - EADS To Train 25 Algerian Aerospace Engineers


About 25 Algerian aerospace engineers will be taking up residence here for 32 months as part of a contract between EADS Astrium and Algeria's space agency for the production of two small high-resolution Earth observation satellites.

The Alsat-2 spacecraft will utilize the Myriade small-satellite platform and provide black-and-white images with a 2.5-meter ground resolution for the Algerian National Space Technology Centre. Launch of the satellite is scheduled to take place in late 2008.

The contract, announced Feb. 1, is the fourth high-resolution optical Earth observation spacecraft to be built by EADS Astrium for foreign governments. But the spacecraft built for Thailand, Taiwan and South Korea are larger and more expensive.

Alsat-2 is expected to weigh just 130 kilograms at launch. With a scheduled five-year service life, it will carry an onboard recorder with a 64-gigabyte capacity to permit Algerian authorities to collect imagery from regions out of line-of-sight contact with the Alsat-2 ground station.

Once Alsat-2 is launched, EADS will furnish components, including the principal imager and a second Myriade satellite bus, to Algerian authorities for integration at a new satellite-development facility in Oran, Algeria.

Michel Bouffard, director of Earth observation and science at EADS Astrium and director of the company's operations here, said the Alsat contract should send a message to nations still concerned about satellite-procurement costs that an operational system can be purchased at affordable prices.

Bouffard declined to disclose financial details of the Alsat-2 contract, which EADS Astrium won in the competition with Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd. of Guildford, England, the world's premier small-satellite specialist and the builder of the Alsat satellite currently in orbit.

The Surrey-built Alsat has a 32-meter ground resolution and is capable of taking only a few images per day. It is part of the Surrey-coordinated Disaster Monitoring Constellation.

"In the past, satellites of this size have been for special purposes including research or as part of a broader system," Bouffard said Feb. 2. "Alsat-2 is a truly operational microsatellite. The fact that we are capable of delivering this now should stimulate interest in several nations that have been concerned about the cost of satellite hardware. There are nations coming to see us now that were not interested before."

The governments of Turkey and Egypt have expressed an interest in purchasing their own Earth observation systems, although industry officials say these governments are likely to seek a satellite that more resembles the larger, 1-meter-resolution models ordered by the three Asian governments.

Taiwan's Formosat-2 satellite, with a 2-meter imager, was launched in May 2004. The Korean Aerospace Research Institute's Kompsat-2 satellite is scheduled for launch by the Euro-Russian Eurockot Launch Services GmbH company of Bremen, Germany, by mid-2006.

Thailand's Theos satellite, also equipped with a 2-meter imager, is scheduled for launch by Eurockot in 2007. Some 230 Thai engineers have been trained in satellite-imagery analysis and satellite operations since 2000, in France and in Thailand.

The Alsat-2 contract illustrates the blurring of once-clear borders separating microsatellites for research and operational spacecraft. With Surrey Satellite Technology now also designing slightly larger satellites -- the company built the just-launched Giove-A spacecraft for Europe's Galileo navigation project -- Surrey and EADS Astrium are likely to be in competition more frequently in the coming years.

Nigeria: Nigeria Targets $70million Annual Revenue From NIGCOMSAT-1

This Day (Lagos)

8 May 2007
Posted to the web 8 May 2007

Oke Epia
Abuja

Ahead of the official launch of Nigeria's first communication satellite, it has been revealed that the country stands to generate an annual revenue of about 70 million U.S. Dollars from the direct sales of slots.

Also, the country will be saved some 100 million dollars spent annually on information traffic via other satellites while targeting to secure 10 percent in the short term, of the about 660million U.S. Dollars spent by African countries on the provision of communication traffic outside the continent thereby curbing capital flight.

Making these disclosures yesterday at a press briefing in Abuja, Managing Director of NIGCOMSAT Ltd, Engr. Ahmed Rufai, said a conservative 56 percent Return on Investment (ROI) rate has been targeted when the satellite is fully subscribed.
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He said a period of not later than six years will see the company breaking even on investment, explaining however, that it would be difficult to put a figure on the total amount spent to bring the project on stream.

Rufai stated that it is estimated that revenue generation from NIGCOMSAT-1 would be more than what is generated from oil by 2010 as "Nigeria would have fully plugged into the global knowledge-based revolution opening a new dawn of digital opportunity for Africa."

The MD said as part of the benefits to Nigerians, NIGCOMSAT will delve into the provision of end-user services in rural telephony which will bring call rates to as low as 10 naira per minute when the company secures the appropriate license from the Nigerian Telecommunications Commission (NCC).

Nigeria gets first African space centre:banana:

From Emeka Anuforo, Abuja

HISTORY was made yesterday in Abuja as Nigeria's dream of becoming the hub of space technology development in Africa received a boost with President Olusegun Obasanjo commissioning the Nigerian Space Centre (NSC).

The centre, said to be the first space centre in Africa, has a ground control station/ network operation centre for communications satellites; houses the ground receiving station for earth observation satellites; and contains the first phase of the Satellite Design Centre/Satellite Assembly, Integration and Test Centre, a multipurpose Conference Centre (under construction) and a Planetarium (under construction).

Some of the ancillary facilities include the utility sub-station and police station.

The centre also houses the administrative building and serves as permanent site for the National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA), among others.

The President, who noted that the establishment of the National Space Technology Centre was critical to the development of space technology in Nigeria and Africa as a whole, maintained that it would assist greatly in realising the country's aspirations in space science and technology.

He said the event marked another milestone in the country's quest to optimise the use of science and technology to promote sustainable national development and improved quality of life for the people.

Noting that space technology is key to the realisation of the Millennium Development Goals and the objectives of "our holistic reform agenda as encapsulated in the NEEDS document, he stated: "It guarantees the availability and speedy access to real-time data and geo-spatial information, as well as the availability of relevant infrastructure and backbone for information communication."

He assured that Nigeria remained committed to the Millennium Development Goals, adding that this commitment had

spurred his administration towards embarking on programmes and initiatives that would effectively address the challenges of poverty, food security, infrastructure development, sustainable energy, affordable health and housing, and protection from natural and man-induced disasters.

He continued: "It is imperative therefore to integrate space technology applications into the various stages of our sustainable development efforts.

"The Federal Government took a bold step by embarking on satellite systems development through the establishment of the National Space Research and Development Agency in 1999 and the approval of the National Space Policy and Programme in 2001. This effort resulted in the launch of the first earth observation satellite, NigeriaSat-1, in September 2003.

"By this unique achievement, Nigeria has registered not only its footprint in space but also its name as a satellite data provider. I am informed that the satellite is performing well and has captured over 2,000 images covering the entire country and different parts of the world. I am pleased to note that

NigeriaSat-1 imagery has been variously applied to tackle some of our socio-economic problems."

He listed such areas of intervention to include Fadama rice production, cassava yield prediction, natural resources management, settlement mapping and transportation planning, gully erosion mitigation, desertification early warning, deforestation monitoring and Niger Delta environmental change monitoring.

Director-General, National Space Research and Development Agency, Prof. Robert Ajayi Boroffice, announced at the occasion that the first Nigerian Communication Satellite (NigComSat-1) project, a critical ICT infrastructure backbone for the entire African continent, would be launched from Xi Chang Launch Centre in China on May 14, 2007.

that's a good news.awesome :okay:

Algerian Space Agency, Sonatrach sign agreement on monitoring oil infrastructures
10/04/2006


[File] Meziane

The Algerian Space Agency (ASAL) and Sonatrach signed a frame agreement for co-operation in the field of using space technology in activities related to gas and oil on Sunday (9 April) in Algiers. The agreement envisages monitoring and insuring oil and gas infrastructures and supporting drilling projects. According to Sonatrach General Manager Mohamed Meziane, the company needs satellite photos for new prospects and data concerning earthquakes. Sonatrach has provided technical and material support to ASAL that made possible the creation of a 15-year space programme from 2006-2020. (

Nigeria's communications satellite goes into orbit Sunday

From Emeka Anuforo, Abuja

THE Nigerian Communication Satellite will go into orbit on Sunday, May 13, 2007 (Nigerian time) from a military base in China. By Chinese time, it is on May10, 2007.

This confirmation, which came from the National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA), also gives the exact launch time as 5.01 p.m. Nigerian time. By that time on Sunday, the NIGCOMSAT-1, the first in Africa, will be deployed into orbit, a distance of 35,700 kilometres from earth and the launch pad.

A statement from the Head, Media and Corporate Affairs of NASRDA, Felix Ale, disclosed that the Federal Government would be sending a high powered delegation to represent the country at the event.

He listed the members of the team to include the Minister of Science and technology, Prof. Turner Isoun; Principal Secretary to the President, Steve Oransanye and the man at the centre of it all, the Director General of the National Space Research and Development Agency, Prof. Robert Ajayi Boroffice.

Felix described the launch of the Nigerian Communication Satellite as a monumental achievement for Nigerians, and the present administration under the leadership of Chief Olusegun Obasanjo.

He stressed: "It will not only signify the beginning of economic and technological emancipation of Nigeria as a nation, but the entire African continent.

"The launch of the Nigerian Communication Satellite is expected to be broadcast live from China by the Nigerian Television Authority, NTA."

He added that NASRDA under the leadership of Boroffice has embarked on a number of projects which culminated in the launch of NigeriaSat-1 on September 27, 2003.

"It is on record that for the first time in Nigeria, the successful launch of Nigeriasat-1 facilitated easy access to satellite data at affordable cost."

As a follow-up to this, he said the agency has also identified and commissioned a number of satellite-based projects that are strategic to national development, especially in the areas of boosting sustainable food production, resource inventory and management, ecological and disaster management, infrastructure development and sustainable health delivery.

"Therefore, the launch of the Nigerian Communication Satellite by the agency at this point in time is strategic and very timely as it will serve as a major information and communication technology backbone which Africa requires to face the challenges of

globalisation."

Nigeria: FG to Establish Avian Influenza Research Centre

Chinyere Okoye
Lagos

Health Minister, Professor Eyitayo Lambo, has said the Federal Government is planning to establish an avian influenza research centre.

Lambo, who made this known at the opening of the first African International Symposium on Avian and Pandemic Influenza and Anti-virals, said the centre would collaborate with global research institutions.

Argentina and Algeria will construct a satellite Its development is one of the projects in the agreement of space cooperation suscripto by both countries A new satellite of teleobservación of the hi-res Earth, that will be developed during next the three years, is the project more ambitious than it in the evening contemplates the agreement of space cooperation signed yesterday by representatives of the National Commission of Space Activities (Conae), of Argentina, and its Algerian pair, the Space Agency of Algeria (ASAL). "satellite SAC-F/ALSAT-2 will be designed based on the space plans Argentine and Algerian - doctor Frank Conrado Varotto said yesterday in a press conference, executive and technical director of the Conae -. This new mission will contribute to Argentina information related to the management of the desertificación and the panoramic epidemiología." Although it is little what Argentinean-Algerian can be said so far of the future satellite, doctor Varotto I indicate that it will very count on optical cameras of technology outpost and that its weight will oscillate between the 700 and the 800 kilos. The agreement, first signed by the mentioned space agencies, was within the framework made of the Third Meeting of the Mixed Commission of Economic, Commercial, Scientific, Technical and Cultural Cooperation between Algeria and Argentina, and contemplates in addition the possibility that the Conae makes use of the information that successfully obtains Algerian satellite ALSAT-1, in orbit from November of 2002, as well as such benefits for Algeria in relation to Argentine satellite SAC-C. "Each instrument that comprises of a teleobservación mission is designed with an objective, but when it can become that the instruments of different satellites observe a same place, when combining that information the result is much more that a simple sum", added doctor Varotto. The agreement also raises the accomplishment of joint studies between Argentina and Algeria for the development of no longer observacionales satellites, like the SAC-C, but of geostationary telecommunications or, as well as the formation of human resources (Algerian) in the space area in the Argentine Institute of High Space Studies Mario Gulich. A relation with history The relation between Argentina and Algeria in the space scope is not new, although yes recent: it began the 13 of 2002 July, with the company/signature in the Agreement of Space Cooperation with pacific aims suscripto by both nations. Nevertheless, the relation of scientific cooperation between both countries is of longer data: in 1989, Algeria acquired a nuclear reactor of investigation and Argentine irradiation called NUR. Time later, a nuclear fuel plant. "We have a relation with Argentina in the field of the technology, all a history in the nuclear field - it commented the NATION Omar Farouk Zerhouni, director of the advice of administration of the Algerian agency space -. Now that we are doing ours first passages in the space, we immediately integrated ourselves with our Argentine friends so that they have to us of the hand and to make the way altogether space

Cheers as Nigeria launches communications satellite into orbit

From Emeka Anuforo, Abuja

TRUE to prediction, the much awaited launch of the Nigerian communication satellite, the first of its kind in Africa, took place and went on the 20 to 30 - minute trip into orbit where it is expected to provide robust and reliable satellite services to citizens in Africa and Europe.
The excitement at the site, according to Nigerian officials at the launch, was "electrifying."

Head of Corporate Affairs and Media at the National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA), Mr. Felix Ale, told The Guardian on phone that the launch was successful.

He quoted the agency's Director General Prof. Robert Ajayi Boroffice, as saying that the 30-minute movement of the satellite went on without delay.
According to Ale, "Prof. Boroffice has also called President Olusegun Obasanjo to inform him of the success of the launch. The President was impressed and full of praises for NASRDA.

The NASRDA boss described the launch as a monumental technological leap and victory for Africa.

"With the successful launch of NIGCOMSAT-1, technological revolution in Africa has started as nobody can stop it."
Ale said the Nigerian Ambassador to China, Mr. J.O. Coker was among top Nigerian and African officials who gathered to witness the launch at the site.

He reported that Boroffice thanked Obasanjo for the confidence reposed in the agency to embark on the project.

The extraordinarily long ascent of NIGCOMSAT-1 spacecraft began at 00:01hrs Beijing time May 14, 2007 (5.01 p.m.) Nigerian time, May 13) as the first stage main engine with four boosters of LongMarch 3B rocketed away from Launch Pad 2 of Xichang Satellite Launch Centre located 65 kilometres away from Xichang region.

Tracking cameras at the launch complex followed the rocket's fiery golden tail flashing through the partly cloudy pre-dawn skies of Sichuan Province in Southwest China.

The members of the Federal Government's team to China, who witnessed the event included the Minister of Science and Technology, Prof. Turner Isoun, Principal Secretary to the President, Mr. Steve Oransanye and Boroffice.

:cheers:

history as Nigeria launches satellite

About three years and seven months after she launched her first ever satellite (Nig Sat-1) on September 27, 2003, Nigeria yesterday launched her first Communication Satellite (NigcomSat-1) into geosynchronous orbit from the Xichang satellite launch centre in China. The first ever satellite was launched aboard a Russian rocket but it was built by a British firm.

Yesterday’s satellite was launched at exactly 17:01 hours.

The feat which attracted commendations from Chinese and Nigerian state officials, is a super hybrid geo-stationary satellite designed to operate in C, KU, KA and L bands and wholly owned by Nigeria.

NigcomSat-1 has Africa, part of Middle East and Southern Europe as its footprint.

An elated Minister of Information and Communications, Frank Nweke Jr; said the event has brought a sense of pride to Nigerians. He urged Nigerians in the Diaspora to take pride in their fatherland.

A statement from the National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA) in Abuja had said the satellite, designed, built and launched by the China Great Walls Industry Corporation, was intended to meet most information and communication technology needs of Africa.

NASRDA explained that the satellite was developed on the base of dongfang-h4 (DFH-4) satellite bus to meet African needs in telecommunications, broadcast, broadband multimedia, telemedicine and distance education.

NigcomSat-1 is coming 44 years after the launch of first geosynchronous satellite in 1963, which relayed the world's first satellite telephone call between U.S President John Kennedy and Nigerian Prime Minister, Abubakar Tafawa Balewa.

The launch was witnessed by a high-level government delegation headed by Prof. Turner Isoun, Minister of Science and Technology.

well done :bow: we need the rest of Africa to follow Nigeria's footsteps and stop relying on western satellites where they also monitor and control our communication systems.

I remember when Bush was visiting Tanzania the Americans switched of all mobile communications in Arusha, (which also affected parts of southern Kenya) like they own the place.
Well done Nigeria:cheers:

Algeria launchs second satellite :)
14/09/2005

The launch of the second Algerian satellite, AlSat 2, was announced in Oran on Monday (12 September) during a ceremonial signing of an agreement between the Algerian Space Agency and the Directorate-General of the Forests. The new-generation satellite will offer more accurate photographs and will assist in the monitoring of Algerian forests by providing real-time data on fires. The National Centre of Space Technology developed the satellite tool, providing geographical information to prevent forest fires


AlSat-2 (Algeria Satellite-2)

AlSat-2 is an optical Earth observation project of CNTS (Algerian National Space Technology Centre). In Feb. 2006, CNTS signed an agreement with EADS Astrium SAS to design and built two satellites. The first of these, AlSat-2A, will be integrated and tested in France at EADS Astrium, whereas the second one, AlSat-2B, will be integrated in Algeria within the small satellite development center (UDPS) in Oran. The AlSat-2 program includes the construction of two ground control segments as well as one station for high-speed downlinks of imagery permitting spacecraft operations from Algerian territory, a country of 2.38 million km2 in size. 1) 2) 3) 4)

The cooperation agreement makes provision for Algerian engineers to work side-by-side with the EADS Astrium development team, with intensive training given in space technology. The AlSat-2 contract lays the foundation for sustained co-operation with Algerian institutions in the fields of space technology for Earth observation, and its applications, as well as in the field of telecommunications.

The system will enable Algeria to obtain very high quality images for use in a wide variety of applications: cartography, management of agriculture, forestry, water, mineral and oil resources, crop protection, management of natural disasters and land planning.

The Algerian government created its Space Agency in January 2002, ASAL (Agence Spatiale Algérienne) or Algerian Space Agency, to develop, promote, and manage the countries space program.

Background: AlSat-1 of CNTS is being flown in the DMC (Disaster Monitoring Constellation), a 5 spacecraft optical imaging constellation developed and coordinated by SSTL (Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd), UK. AlSat-1 was launched on Nov. 28, 2002, the spacecraft is operating nominally as of 2007 providing multispectral imagery of 32 m resolution in a swath of 600 km.
:cheers:

Algeria launchs second satellite :)
14/09/2005

The launch of the second Algerian satellite, AlSat 2, was announced in Oran on Monday (12 September) during a ceremonial signing of an agreement between the Algerian Space Agency and the Directorate-General of the Forests. The new-generation satellite will offer more accurate photographs and will assist in the monitoring of Algerian forests by providing real-time data on fires. The National Centre of Space Technology developed the satellite tool, providing geographical information to prevent forest fires


AlSat-2 (Algeria Satellite-2)

AlSat-2 is an optical Earth observation project of CNTS (Algerian National Space Technology Centre). In Feb. 2006, CNTS signed an agreement with EADS Astrium SAS to design and built two satellites. The first of these, AlSat-2A, will be integrated and tested in France at EADS Astrium, whereas the second one, AlSat-2B, will be integrated in Algeria within the small satellite development center (UDPS) in Oran. The AlSat-2 program includes the construction of two ground control segments as well as one station for high-speed downlinks of imagery permitting spacecraft operations from Algerian territory, a country of 2.38 million km2 in size. 1) 2) 3) 4)

The cooperation agreement makes provision for Algerian engineers to work side-by-side with the EADS Astrium development team, with intensive training given in space technology. The AlSat-2 contract lays the foundation for sustained co-operation with Algerian institutions in the fields of space technology for Earth observation, and its applications, as well as in the field of telecommunications.

The system will enable Algeria to obtain very high quality images for use in a wide variety of applications: cartography, management of agriculture, forestry, water, mineral and oil resources, crop protection, management of natural disasters and land planning.

The Algerian government created its Space Agency in January 2002, ASAL (Agence Spatiale Algérienne) or Algerian Space Agency, to develop, promote, and manage the countries space program.

Background: AlSat-1 of CNTS is being flown in the DMC (Disaster Monitoring Constellation), a 5 spacecraft optical imaging constellation developed and coordinated by SSTL (Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd), UK. AlSat-1 was launched on Nov. 28, 2002, the spacecraft is operating nominally as of 2007 providing multispectral imagery of 32 m resolution in a swath of 600 km.
:cheers:

Was this launched 2 years ago?? :cheers:

:cheers:
EADS Astrium to supply Algeria’s ALSAT-2 optical observation systemEADS Astrium has signed a contract with the Algerian National Space Technology Centre (CNTS) for the development of the ALSAT-2 system, which consists of two optical observation satellites. ALSAT-2 is the first Earth observation satellite system from the AstroSat100 family to be built using the Myriade platform.
Paris, 01 February 2006
The ALSAT-2 contract covers the design and development of two satellites. The first, ALSAT-2A, will be integrated and tested in France at EADS Astrium, whereas the second, ALSAT-2B, will be integrated in Algeria within the small satellite development center (UDPS) in Oran. The ALSAT-2 programme also includes the construction of two ground control segments and one image station allowing the satellites to be operated and controlled from Algerian territory.

ALSAT-2 is equipped with a latest-generation payload capable of supplying images with a resolution of 2.5 metres in panchromatic mode and 10 metres in each of 4 colour bands in multispectral mode. It draws on EADS Astrium’s extensive experience in Earth observation, most particularly with respect to the silicon carbide telescopes which are being integrated onto a Myriade class satellite platform which was designed in cooperation with CNES, the French Space agency.

Its system performance leads the world, confirming EADS Astrium’s leadership and pioneering role in high-performance Earth observation systems based on 150kg-class satellites designed for operational needs.

The CNTS, affiliated with the Algerian Space Agency (ASAL), will be responsible for managing the ALSAT-2 programme and operating the satellite system.

The system will enable Algeria to obtain very high quality images for use in a wide variety of applications: cartography, management of agriculture, forestry, water, mineral and oil resources, crop protection, management of natural disasters and land planning.

The co-operation agreement makes provision for Algerian engineers to work side-by-side the EADS Astrium development team. They will be given intensive training in space technology. The ALSAT-2 contract lays the foundation for sustained co-operation with Algerian institutions in the fields of space technology for Earth observation and its applications, as well as in the field of telecommunications.

This is the fifth co-operation contract signed by EADS Astrium with an export customer in the Earth observation field. It follows the FORMOSAT-2 satellite launched on 20 May 2004, the satellites KOMPSAT-2 and COMS for delivery to Korea, and the THEOS satellite currently being developed for Thailand.

EADS Astrium is Europe’s leading satellite system specialist. Its activities cover complete civil and military telecommunications and Earth observation systems, science and navigation programmes, and all spacecraft avionics and equipment. EADS Astrium is a wholly owned subsidiary of EADS SPACE, which is dedicated to providing civil and defence space systems. In 2004 EADS SPACE had a turnover of €2.6 billion and 11,000 employees in France, Germany, the United Kingdom and Spain. EADS is a global leader in aerospace, defence and related services. In 2004, EADS generated revenues of €31.8 billion and employed a workforce of more than 110,000.

We're going to go to the Moon and discover life...in 2200 or so. :D :jk:

On a serious note: good stuff guys...I hope an African will walk on the moon one day.

well done :bow: we need the rest of Africa to follow Nigeria's footsteps and stop relying on western satellites where they also monitor and control our communication systems.

I remember when Bush was visiting Tanzania the Americans switched of all mobile communications in Arusha, (which also affected parts of southern Kenya) like they own the place.
Well done Nigeria:cheers:
i remember when clinton was visiting nigeria the united state submarine followed by the sea without informing nigerian navy,nigerian anti submarine located it off the west african coast andalmost get blowned off by the nigerian navy.

Images of the launch of NigComSat1

http://english.cri.cn/mmsource/images/2007/05/14/0548sat01.jpg

http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/forums/get-attachment.asp?action=view&attachmentid=20958


http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/forums/get-attachment.asp?action=view&attachmentid=20963



http://www.geocities.com/onimisibaiye/pics/nigcomsat/celebration.jpg
Celebration at Space Centre in Abuja

AlSat-1, the first Algerian national satellite of seven microsatellites in the Disaster Monitoring Constellation (DMC), will be launched in September 2002. Micro satellites for Nigeria, United Kingdom, Turkey and Thailand will be launched into the same orbit by the second DMC launch in April 2003, whilst microsatellites for China and Vietnam will be launched into the same orbit by the third DMC launch in January 2004. In a constellation with six other satellites, Algeria will be able to access global images for daily global disaster mitigation, national remote sensing applications, commercial space exploitation and international co-operation with both developed and developing countries. A team of eleven (11) Algerian engineers has been trained at Surrey through the AlSat-1 project. They have covered the following disciplines: System Engineering, ADCS, Power, RF, OBDH, Mechanical and Launch Interface, Earth Observation Payload, GPS, Operation, TTC and Propulsion. AlSat-1, the first space asset of the country, provides indigenous national space capability, unique independent Earth observation and international co-operation opportunities. The country has received this first step into space very well. Following the success of the AlSat-1 programme, a National Space Agency is under construction in Algeria with all the necessary facilities, and the government has approved the budget for a second earth observation microsatellite, AlSat-2. This 2.5m high-resolution remote sensing satellite will be used essentially for mapping and environmental applications. The team trained at Surrey will build the majority of AlSat-2 in the National Space Centre in Algeria using the technologies acquired from Surrey. A further technology transfer and training programme will be carried out through this more demanding mission. The paper will present the AlSat-1 programme and its benefits to Algeria. The proposed AlSat-2 project and the establishment of a national space agency, based on the success of AlSat-1 (the first step into space for Algeria), will also be presented.

Images of the launch of NigComSat1

http://english.cri.cn/mmsource/images/2007/05/14/0548sat01.jpg

http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/forums/get-attachment.asp?action=view&attachmentid=20958


http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/forums/get-attachment.asp?action=view&attachmentid=20963



http://www.geocities.com/onimisibaiye/pics/nigcomsat/celebration.jpg
Celebration at Space Centre in Abuja

thnks sports billy. where did u get the pics from

he is a kind of internet sufer.

Nigeria targets two more communication satellites by 2010
From Emeka Anuforo, Abuja

NIGERIA is not relenting in its drive to become a major player in the global communications satellite industry.

Still celebrating the country's successful launch of Africa's first communications satellite into the orbit last Sunday, the Federal Government has hinted of fresh moves to launch two more such projects by 2010.

By the government's calculation, Nigeria should, by 2010 have a global coverage as part of its short term strategic plan.

Also in the offing is the plan to ensure that by the time the life span of the present communications satellite expires in 2022, a total of 10 fleets of communications satellites will be in orbit. The recently launched communication satellite has a life span of 15 years.

In a chat with The Guardian, the Managing Director of Nigerian Communications Limited, Mr. Ahmed Rufai, affirmed that the NIGCOMSAT-1 recently lunched in China was a 100 per cent success. He said that with the launch, a new page had opened in the country's Information Communications Technology (ICT) sector and the African continent.

According to him, "never again will Africa be dubbed the dark continent, never again will Africa be tagged the unwired continent and indeed, the time has come for Nigeria to take her rightful position as the flagship of the African continent and this is exactly what we have achieved".

On the plan to increase the number of missions in orbit, he said, "Before the 15 years life span expires in 2022, we are targeting that we should have at least 10 fleets in orbit.

"But by the next two years, we hope to launch two more communication satellites: one facing America and one facing the Asia. Connecting Africa with America, connecting Africa with Asia. By our calculation, in 2010, we should have a global coverage as part of our short term strategic plan."

He continued: "We are thinking far, far beyond that, because we loaned $200 million as part of our venture financing from the contractors. That we hope to pay back from the revenue stream of the satellite. In addition to that, once we are able to prove the capacity to pay back, government would be investing some.

"We are already calling private investors to come and take shares in the company. We are hoping that by the in-flow, we should be able to start another mission by early 2008 and between then and 2010, we should be able to launch another. We are starting two missions simultaneously because we have seen the requirements. We want to get there now because we have the capacity, we have the rudiments," he stated.

Beyond the partnership with developed countries for the manufacture and launch of satellites, Rufai stressed Nigeria was gradually developing the local manpower to build its own satellites.

Rufai said: "I can tell you now that internally we can design our own satellite 100 per cent without input from anybody. Once we design, again, the aggregate cost will crash because this aspect of the project can cost over $20 million. So, we can design and just give to people to fabricate for us. The Space Agency, the mother agency, the National Space Research and Development Agency is setting the pace and is also looking beyond that.

"I can tell you eight years from now, we will build the satellite from here in Nigeria and once we are able to do that, the cost to us will also crash. Yes! Because, the Space Agency will be doing it as a profit. Apart from building for ourselves to satisfy national requirement, we will be building for other African countries. For example, I know that from the Nigerian example, Libya is trying to look this way, South Africa is thinking fast of launching a satellite. Even the United Arab Emirates (UAE)! Once we build the

capability, we try the small ones, one or two experiments. They will patronize us", he said.

The firm chief said that the project was a potential revenue earner for the country and the good thing also was that the technology in the satellite industry could be established in all the micro-electronics and mechanical requirement in the country.

@iluvnaija

Two sources actually.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/ and http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=7887&start=1

Cheers.


Thanks.

picture off ALSAT 1 FIRST DMC SATELITE IN THE WORLD
ALGERIA SATELITE LAUNCHED NOVEMBRE 2002
PICTURE TAKEN FROM ALSAT LINK BELOW


http://www.isprs.org/istanbul2004/comm1/papers/62.pdf


The Disaster Monitoring Constellation (DMC) is a novel international co-operation in space, led by SSTL bringing together organisations from seven countries: Algeria, China, Nigeria, Thailand, Turkey, the United Kingdom and Vietnam. The DMC Consortium is forming the first-ever microsatellite constellation bringing remarkable Earth observation capabilities both nationally to the individual satellite owners, and internationally to benefit world-wide humanitarian aid efforts.

The first satellite in the DMC, AlSAT-1 for Algeria, was launched on 28 November 2002 and is fully operational in orbit, delivering outstanding Earth observation imagery. AlSAT-1 will be joined in orbit by a further three satellites for Nigeria, Turkey and the UK in July 2003 - all built at the Surrey Space Centre in Guildford. The spacecraft for Algeria, Nigeria and Turkey were built under know-how transfer and training programmes, whereby a team of engineers from each country spent 18 months at Surrey working alongside SSTL engineers.

Each satellite, weighing some 90kg, will provide 32-metre multispectral Earth observation imaging, covering a vast 600 x 600km area anywhere on the Earth's surface. The images cover ten times more area, compared with images of less than 200 x 200km currently available from other civilian Earth observation satellites. Also unique is the ability to re-image anywhere on the Earth's surface within 24-hours - something not achievable by any other satellite currently in-orbit. These powerful resources place the DMC in a distinctive position to provide Earth observation images to the international disaster relief community in partnership with Reuters AlertNet.

The International Disaster Monitoring Constellation is a further example of a new generation of advanced small satellites pioneered by SSTL - providing outstanding capability at low cost. The DMC will demonstrate how a network of small satellites can work together to provide valuable operational services at exceptionally low cost.

About SSTL: SSTL specialises in the design, manufacture and operation of high-performance yet low-cost small satellites provided on rapid timescales to meet both civil and military Earth observation, communications and space science applications. During 22 years SSTL have launched 21 small satellite missions into low Earth orbit for international customers, pioneering use of 'commercial-of-the-shelf' (COTS) technologies and resulting in an experience and heritage of missions and in-orbit operations unmatched by any other professional satellite manufacturer.

Four spacecraft are currently under construction at SSTL's purpose-built facilities at the Surrey Space Centre in England: three satellites for the international disaster monitoring constellation (DMC), plus an enhanced, agile microsatellite to demonstrate 2.5-metre resolution Earth imaging for the UK MoD. The DMC is a collaboration between organisations in six countries: Algeria, China, Nigeria, Thailand, Turkey, and UK to launch an Earth observation constellation of small satellites providing daily imaging revisit worldwide to assist in disaster monitoring.

SSTL employs 150 staff at Guildford, currently working on LEO, geostationary and interplanetary platforms - exploiting the cost-effective technology and techniques that are the hallmarks of Surrey's work.

About CCLRC: The CCLRC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory in Oxfordshire is the largest of the three sites of the Council for the Central Laboratory of the Research Councils. The CCLRC is one of the UK's seven research councils and is one of the UK's leading science research organisations.

Its Space Science and Technology Department is one of the largest in Europe, with expertise in a broad range of space science subjects including solar physics, planetary science and space technology. The Space Test Chamber is a 5.5 metre long thermal vacuum chamber where small satellites and instruments are tested under vacuum and at the extreme temperatures they will encounter in space.

good news from algeria.

did the satelite launch from nigeria or china?

did the satelite launch from nigeria or china?

From china

well done Nigeria for leading the way forward in African Space Technology:nocrook: :nocrook: :nocrook: :nocrook: :nocrook:

:nocrook:

Nigeria gets first African space centre:banana:

From Emeka Anuforo, Abuja

HISTORY was made yesterday in Abuja as Nigeria's dream of becoming the hub of space technology development in Africa received a boost with President Olusegun Obasanjo commissioning the Nigerian Space Centre (NSC).

The centre, said to be the first space centre in Africa, has a ground control station/ network operation centre for communications satellites; houses the ground receiving station for earth observation satellites; and contains the first phase of the Satellite Design Centre/Satellite Assembly, Integration and Test Centre, a multipurpose Conference Centre (under construction) and a Planetarium (under construction).

Some of the ancillary facilities include the utility sub-station and police station.

The centre also houses the administrative building and serves as permanent site for the National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA), among others.

The President, who noted that the establishment of the National Space Technology Centre was critical to the development of space technology in Nigeria and Africa as a whole, maintained that it would assist greatly in realising the country's aspirations in space science and technology.

He said the event marked another milestone in the country's quest to optimise the use of science and technology to promote sustainable national development and improved quality of life for the people.

Noting that space technology is key to the realisation of the Millennium Development Goals and the objectives of "our holistic reform agenda as encapsulated in the NEEDS document, he stated: "It guarantees the availability and speedy access to real-time data and geo-spatial information, as well as the availability of relevant infrastructure and backbone for information communication."

He assured that Nigeria remained committed to the Millennium Development Goals, adding that this commitment had

spurred his administration towards embarking on programmes and initiatives that would effectively address the challenges of poverty, food security, infrastructure development, sustainable energy, affordable health and housing, and protection from natural and man-induced disasters.

He continued: "It is imperative therefore to integrate space technology applications into the various stages of our sustainable development efforts.

"The Federal Government took a bold step by embarking on satellite systems development through the establishment of the National Space Research and Development Agency in 1999 and the approval of the National Space Policy and Programme in 2001. This effort resulted in the launch of the first earth observation satellite, NigeriaSat-1, in September 2003.

"By this unique achievement, Nigeria has registered not only its footprint in space but also its name as a satellite data provider. I am informed that the satellite is performing well and has captured over 2,000 images covering the entire country and different parts of the world. I am pleased to note that

NigeriaSat-1 imagery has been variously applied to tackle some of our socio-economic problems."

He listed such areas of intervention to include Fadama rice production, cassava yield prediction, natural resources management, settlement mapping and transportation planning, gully erosion mitigation, desertification early warning, deforestation monitoring and Niger Delta environmental change monitoring.

Director-General, National Space Research and Development Agency, Prof. Robert Ajayi Boroffice, announced at the occasion that the first Nigerian Communication Satellite (NigComSat-1) project, a critical ICT infrastructure backbone for the entire African continent, would be launched from Xi Chang Launch Centre in China on May 14, 2007.

South Africa mothballed their space launch facility in the mid 80s. The last remaining space launch vehicle is on display at the South Africa Air force Museum and was a low orbit launcher based on the IRBM warhead carrying missle called the RSA 3 which was moiddled on the Ireali Jerico 2 launcher

SA BOY, how come we never hear any story about South Africa space projects?

SA BOY, how come we never hear any story about South Africa space projects?
i wonder!
maybe the one he is talking about is a monument,just like the one at abuja airforce base.

Please no rivalry we above that!!

Please no rivalry we above that!!
it's cool!

We're going to go to the Moon and discover life...in 2200 or so. :D :jk:

On a serious note: good stuff guys...I hope an African will walk on the moon one day.

it would happen much faster than you think cause at long last the african lion "nigeria" is finally awake and its going lead africa into different dimension

nigerian space center authority said themself it could be so soon as 2010.
goverment as to be committed.

Naija what are you on about, what will happen so soon???

Naija what are you on about, what will happen so soon???lunching of african scientists into space from african soil.

algeria space program 2006-2020


To face the competition of Egypt and Saudi Arabia, Algeria sent, on June 2, sixteen space experts to France to get trained in the Space and aeronautics high school of Toulouse. Besides, a satellite developing unit is being set up in Oran and will be ready early 2008.

ASA sources say competition between Arab countries to shelter the Arab satellite launch platform is becoming stronger even before the final wording of the project takes end. This degree of competition is motivated by the fact that the countries, pioneers in space matters in the Arab world, have got relatively developed satellite reception and launch platforms.

Same sources say Algeria intends to use all its weight to shelter the joint Arab satellite, which would get a major part of the national space program 2006-2020, presented, some months ago, to the joint ministry council and will be submitted to ministry and government councils. The national program includes 7 satellites, and will be managed by the Algerian space agency, under the supervision of the minister of Post and Technologies of Information.

At the opening of the workshop of the Arab satellite project for the surveillance of the earth, the minister of Pos, Boudjemaâ Haichour, unveiled a document worked out by 16 Algerian experts on the realisation of a satellite or a group of three satellites, of 15 to 30 cm diameters, which would have the task to monitor the 14-million km2 Arab region and to forecast natural catastrophes. The project cost 50 million dollars.

Algeria preferred the Arab approve the three satellites project, for it is able to send a peace of information every day, whereas one satellite can provide the same information every three or five days, says the minister adding that the information sent by the three satellites would permit a best forecast of natural catastrophes, as earthquakes, floods, locusts invasions and desertification.

Lamia F. —El-Khabar

naija,I think I like you braggat.Well,I think Nigeria is trying to take is position now that they are realizing what the continent means to the world.They need to light up the continent if not the darkness is going to be much more thicker with the next generation.

SA BOY, how come we never hear any story about South Africa space projects?

At the end of apartheit and under pressure from the US, SA mothballed its space program and scraped its IRBM and ICBM missile program. There is now only 1 space launch vehicle/IRBM left which is the one in the airforce mesueam. SA had no need for iyt after that as launching commecial satalites has got considerab;ly cheeper in tthe past 20 years with rockets for hire in the US/European sat alunches/China/Japan/India and even private launches off ships.
To invest so heavely in something when the rest of the world is 50 years ahead of you does not make economic sence

GENERATORS NOW USE KADUNA ETHANOL

From ISAAC ODEH, Kaduna
25- 05 - 2007

THE fuel grade ethanol produced by the Kaduna State Ministry of Science and Technology has been tested on generators and found to work efficiently, the state Commissioner for Science and Technology, Dr. Matoh Dary Dogara has said.

Addressing newsmen in his office, the commissioner said if the product is blended with petrol or gasoline, it will be known as Green Petrol or Green Gasoline.

He said the approach adopted by the kaduna State Government differed from that of the Federal Government represented by the Renewable Energy Division (RED), Automotive Biomass Ethanol Programme.

Dogara pointed out that the NNPC intended to rely on importation of ethanol for blending with petrol but Kaduna State considers production within the country as the way forward in the nation’s quest for technological progress.

He said the plant was designed, fabricated and raw materials sourced from Kaduna State, adding that the advantage of this was that local engineers, craftsmen and artisans have benefited from the knowledge and experiences gained during the construction process.

He explained that parts can also conveniently be fabricated by the same craftsmen for maintenance purposes, saying that this was done in line with the state’s belief that turn-key projects were not in the best interest of the technological advancement of the country.

He stated that the only material imported was Zeolite 3A which accounted for 37 per cent of the total cost of the plant.

"Fortunately, the raw material for Zeolite is kaolin which is available in the country and according to experts, can be produced locally if there is the political will," he said.

He hoped that the Ministry of Science and Technology would support to kick-start research into the production of Zeolite for the biofuels industry as this was required by all the refineries in the country.

He said though, the present plant was sugar cane as the raw materials for the production of ethanol, cassava, maize and other grain can, with slight modification in the process be used. The ministry intended to introduce the modification in order to use cassava or maize as feedstock in the next stage of ethanol production, the commissioner s

Not really SA BOY, there are a few SA sattelite developments..

Ensuring a future for SA's satellite capability
By: Keith Campbell
Published: 1 Dec 06 - 0:00
South Africa’s microsatellite design, development and manufacturing company, Sun Space & Information Systems (SunSpace) – which is a high-tech spin-off company from the University of Stellenbosch – has been running a ‘satellite trainee’ programme as part of the country’s national Sumbandila earth-observation microsatellite programme (see Engineering News October 6, 2006). Currently, the satellite is scheduled to be launched in April or May next year by the Russians. The programme involves nine satellite trainees, four women and five men.

Three of them are Jesse Ndaba, Gladys Sonko, and Keitumetse Molamu, all young electrical engi-neers – Ndaba is aged 30, Sonko is 23, and Molamu 22.

Ndaba has a BSc (Eng) degree from the University of the Witwaters- rand, Sonko a BSc (Eng) degree from the University of Cape Town, and Molamu has BEng and BSc (Information Technology) degrees from Rand Afrikaans University (RAU – now the University of Johannesburg).

“Being a satellite trainee means learning everything about a satellite, about building them, and about what happens after they are launched,” sums up Molamu.

“We’re sent to every relevant department and section at Stellen-bosch, and on Fridays we all get together to discuss what we’ve learnt and how our teams are progressing,” adds Ndaba.

The training programme, which started in June, has been practical as well as theoretical.

“All of us have been working on the Sumbandila satellite,” points out Sonko. But what happens after Sumbandila has been launched? “There is a possibility that our training programme will be extended,” says Ndaba.

“Once the training programme ends, SunSpace will either offer us positions, or not,” states Molamu.

“There is a desire at Stellenbosch and SunSpace that some of us do our MSc (Eng) degrees in the field,” adds Ndaba.

But how did they become satelllite trainees in the first place? “I saw an ad in a newspaper, about SunSpace; I’ve always been interested in space, so I applied, was interviewed, and selected,” she recounts.

“I graduated last year,” reports Sonko, “and was looking for a job from then until June; on a day when I wasn’t going to look for a job, I saw the ad in the newspaper – I was very excited; I sent my CV and was accepted.” “In my case, it was mostly an accident, although with a little bit of intent,” says Molamu.

“One of my professors at RAU fowarded me the ad – on the clos-ing date!” Sumbandila is an 81-kg, R26-mil- lion, earth observation microsatellitte; its name means ‘lead the way’ in the Venda language.

It is based around a new satellite platform developed by SunSpace.

The microsatellite’s main payload is a 6,25-m multispectral imager – that is, the imager has a resolution of 6,25 m 5 6,25 m. This imager was also designed, developed, and made by SunSpace.

Sumbandila is to be placed in low earth orbit by a Shtil 2.1 rocket – a demilitarised submarine-launched ballistic missile, adapted to carry satellites into space.

The rocket will be launched from a submerged Russian Navy ballistic missile submarine, probably in the Barents sea.
Edited by: Keith Campbell

Good prospects for SA radio-astronomy projects
By: Keith Campbell
Published: 2 Feb 07 - 0:00
For South Africa’s radio astronomy projects, 2007 will, hopefully, be the year of internationalisation, including the harnessing of resources from abroad. South Africa and Australia are the two countries on the shortlist to host the €1,5-billion international Square Kilometre Array (SKA) radio telescope, and this country is also developing its own SKA precursor radio telescope, hitherto known as the Karoo Array Telescope (Kat). “Kat is now known as MeerKAT because the extra government funding announced last year means we will be able to do more than originally expected,” reports South African representative on the international SKA steering committee, Professor Justin Jonas, of Rhodes University. (For the benefit of non-Afrikaans speakers, MeerKAT is a play on words: in additon to the allusion to the lovable African animal, meer is also the Afrikaans word for more – thus, ‘moreKAT’.) “So we have to somewhat revisit our Kat speci-fications and we are in the process of doing this – but 90%, if not more, of Kat is still valid,” he states. “The National Treasury has made it clear that it must be an international project, so we will need international input and, hopefully, contributions, both in kind and in cash,” he explains. “We have a busy year ahead, and a lot of it will involve internationalisation – how do we make sure that MeerKAT is a world-class instrument, designed by the best people in the world and getting tangible contributions from international partners, not just moral support?” Significantly, Jonas is also South Africa’s representative on the board of the EU SKA Design Study (Skads), which is a project under the EU’s Framework Programme 6 (FP6) research and development funding programme – the Skads board meets roughly every six months. “Late last month, I attended the Skads board meeting in the Netherlands, and there was a lot of interest in MeerKAT in that community – Skads will only produce a design study and engineering prototypes, not a substantial operational radio telescope like our project,” he highlights. “At Skads, there were representatives from all over the EU, Australia, and the US, and all are keen to be involved in MeerKAT,” he reveals. “There is every chance that MeerKAT will subsequently grow into the SKA Phase One, which will be 10% of the full SKA,” enthuses Jonas. MeerKAT itself will represent a few per cent of the SKA, which will be a major scientific instrument in its own right. “The implication of building the SKA Phase One in the Karoo would be that the full SKA would also be sited in the Karoo,” he points out. South African astronomers and project engineers have given the possible Karoo-based SKA Phase One the nickname Big Kat.” Whereas MeerKAT is already fully funded from South African sources, such a Big Kat would need substantial international investment. Developing Big Kat/SKA Phase One would cost about €200-million, of which €150-million would have to come from abroad. “It is now clear that the international funding timescales for the SKA are quite long and the current 2015 completion date for the SKA now seems very optimistic, so MeerKAT is likely to have a long scientific life and be the premier radio telescope until 2020 at least,” he affirms. Meanwhile, work continues in, around, and concerning the Karoo site, located some 100 km west of the town of Carnarvon, in the Northern Cape. “We are conducting further investigations into radio interference and into the cost of infrastructure – because we are definitely going to build MeerKAT; we are already doing the environmental-impact assessments, and talking to Eskom, State-owned broadband telecomcompany InfraCo, and road builders, about constructing the infrastructure we will need.” Meanwhile, construction of the prototype ‘experimental demonstrator model’ – better known as the XDM – radio telescope continues at Hartebeeshoek Radio Astronomy Observatory, west of Pretoria. All being well, MeerKAT- will be composed of 80 or more XDM-type dishes working together as an array. “On the training front, we have quite a substantial bursary programme going now, with postgraduate students working on the science and technology of MeerKAT,” concludes Jonas.

You guys are right,South africa has a space program.

Here is something else on it too.


Posted to the web on: 31 July 2006
All systems go for SA’s space agency
Tamar Kahn

Science and Health Editor

CAPE TOWN — The cabinet has approved the establishment of SA’s first space agency, which will be tasked with co-ordinating the use of space technology and local space science research. The agency is expected to reduce duplication and offer international space agencies, such as the National Aeronautics and Space Agency, a single point of contact in SA.

“We’re not talking about having astronauts and missions to the moon — this is more a case of making use of existing space assets to deliver benefits to people on the ground,” said South African Astronomical Observatory division head Peter Martinez.

“Space these days is part of the plumbing of everyday life,” he said. “For example, your cellphone’s timing signals are derived from Global Positioning System satellites.”

The South African Space Agency, which will be established within a year, would answer to Science and Technology Minister Mosibudi Mangena. It would develop a blueprint for SA’s future space science programmes in consultation with other government departments and oversee its implementation, said the science department’s chief director for frontier programmes, Pontsho Marupeng.

The agency would allow SA to play a more prominent role in international forums, harmonise the disparate activities of the space science institutions, and oversee local space-related activities, she said.
Institutions under it will include the satellite ground station complex at the Overberg test range and the Houwtek satellite integration facility, both in Western Cape. It will oversee the space-science infrastructure at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research and at universities. SA gathers space-related data in Antarctica, and is a collaborator in telescopes such as the Southern African Large Telescope and the High Energy Stereoscopic System in Namibia.

The agency will work closely with the Space Council, set up under the Space Affairs Act to ensure SA fulfils its obligations under international agreements.

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One day they will reach the moon and beyond as well.

Here is something from the south african space portal website.




Welcome
Welcome to the South African space portal. This website is your gateway to space science and technology in South Africa.


Space science is the study of everything above and beyond the surface of the Earth, from Earth's atmosphere to the very edges of the universe. Space Technology refers to the technology in satellites and ground systems used by space scientists to study the universe (looking up) and the earth (looking down), or to deliver services to users on the ground. The vast majority of satellites are launched into space to provide services to people on Earth.

Survey of South African Space Capabilities
South African companies and institutions in the space arena are invited to participate in a survey of national space capabilities being conducted by the National Aerospace Centre of Excellence (NACoE) on behalf of the national Department of Science & Technology (DST). Interested companies and organisations should download information on how to particpate here. The deadline for return of completed survey material is the 25th of May 2007.

This website has been created by the National Working Group on Space Science and Technology to showcase the contribution of space science and technology to sustainable development in South Africa.

http://www.wits.ac.za/centres/nacoe

http://www.dst.gov.za/

http://www.space.gov.za/downloads/Aerospace_audit.pdf

http://www.space.gov.za/downloads/Space_Brochure_2004.pdf

ALGERIA TO OPEN SCHOOL OF SPACE TECHNOLOGY


Creation in Algeria of a school of technologies spaciales aims developing the sector and at encouraging research in this strategic field Tuesday April 10, 2007. Five specialities were retained for this school, namely those of the space and mechanical optics of precision which will have domiciled at the university Ferhat Abbas de Sétif, the computer use in space and software embarked at the university Aboubakr Belkaïd de Tlemcen, the space instrumentation at the university of sciences and technology Mohamed Boudiaf d' Oran, the image processing and geographical information systems at the university of sciences and technologies Houari Boumédiène and finally the speciality space telecommunications at the university Bachir Mentouri de Constantine (Is Algeria). The school of technologies spaciales created in Algeria, which will be operational the academic year 2007-2008, will take care of the training of a high level personnel which will reinforce the concretization of the national space Program (PSN) 2006-2020, equipped with the budget of 80 billion dinars. The Minister for the Higher education and scientific Research, Mr. Rachid Harraoubia, affirmed on this occasion that the formation and scientific and technological research constitute "the principal lever of the durable development of the country and the PSN is one of the principal instruments which make it possible to take up this challenge". The general manager of the Algerian space Agency (ASAL), Mr. Azzeddine Oussedik, underlined, on his side, that "the formation of high level competences and the development of the research projects in the fields related to space technologies and applications constitute central axes of the space program of Algeria 2006-2020". "the projects adopted within the framework of this program cannot be a real success and an impact on the national durable development if they are not carried out and are not carried out by experts and executives having the required qualifications", notes it. And to add that it is "accordingly that this school was perceived by a group of experts and who will come to mobilize the national scientific community around the development of the national space program".

LINK ALGERIA SPACE AGENCY
www.asal-dz.org

Not really SA BOY, there are a few SA sattelite developments..

Ensuring a future for SA's satellite capability
By: Keith Campbell
Published: 1 Dec 06 - 0:00
South Africa’s microsatellite design, development and manufacturing company, Sun Space & Information Systems (SunSpace) – which is a high-tech spin-off company from the University of Stellenbosch – has been running a ‘satellite trainee’ programme as part of the country’s national Sumbandila earth-observation microsatellite programme (see Engineering News October 6, 2006). Currently, the satellite is scheduled to be launched in April or May next year by the Russians. The programme involves nine satellite trainees, four women and five men.

Three of them are Jesse Ndaba, Gladys Sonko, and Keitumetse Molamu, all young electrical engi-neers – Ndaba is aged 30, Sonko is 23, and Molamu 22.

Ndaba has a BSc (Eng) degree from the University of the Witwaters- rand, Sonko a BSc (Eng) degree from the University of Cape Town, and Molamu has BEng and BSc (Information Technology) degrees from Rand Afrikaans University (RAU – now the University of Johannesburg).

“Being a satellite trainee means learning everything about a satellite, about building them, and about what happens after they are launched,” sums up Molamu.

“We’re sent to every relevant department and section at Stellen-bosch, and on Fridays we all get together to discuss what we’ve learnt and how our teams are progressing,” adds Ndaba.

The training programme, which started in June, has been practical as well as theoretical.

“All of us have been working on the Sumbandila satellite,” points out Sonko. But what happens after Sumbandila has been launched? “There is a possibility that our training programme will be extended,” says Ndaba.

“Once the training programme ends, SunSpace will either offer us positions, or not,” states Molamu.

“There is a desire at Stellenbosch and SunSpace that some of us do our MSc (Eng) degrees in the field,” adds Ndaba.

But how did they become satelllite trainees in the first place? “I saw an ad in a newspaper, about SunSpace; I’ve always been interested in space, so I applied, was interviewed, and selected,” she recounts.

“I graduated last year,” reports Sonko, “and was looking for a job from then until June; on a day when I wasn’t going to look for a job, I saw the ad in the newspaper – I was very excited; I sent my CV and was accepted.” “In my case, it was mostly an accident, although with a little bit of intent,” says Molamu.

“One of my professors at RAU fowarded me the ad – on the clos-ing date!” Sumbandila is an 81-kg, R26-mil- lion, earth observation microsatellitte; its name means ‘lead the way’ in the Venda language.

It is based around a new satellite platform developed by SunSpace.

The microsatellite’s main payload is a 6,25-m multispectral imager – that is, the imager has a resolution of 6,25 m 5 6,25 m. This imager was also designed, developed, and made by SunSpace.

Sumbandila is to be placed in low earth orbit by a Shtil 2.1 rocket – a demilitarised submarine-launched ballistic missile, adapted to carry satellites into space.

The rocket will be launched from a submerged Russian Navy ballistic missile submarine, probably in the Barents sea.
Edited by: Keith Campbell

I know but the question was about launch vehicles and the abilty to put the satalite into space

Nigeria: Nigeria Trains 100 Space Engineers

This Day (Lagos)

29 May 2007
Posted to the web 29 May 2007

Oke Epia
Abuja

The Federal Government has spent $1 million each to train over a hundred Nigerians on space science and technology in a bid to get them ready to man the country's space infrastructure and future exploration in the field.

Minister of Science and Technology, Prof. Turner Isoun who disclosed this yesterday at a valedictory press briefing which held in Abuja, said the amount spent on each trainee was that high because they were being trained on proprietary knowledge owned by the institutions in China and the United Kingdom as against what obtains in academic institutions generally.

Saying that some of the engineers were already engaged in developing robotic softwares, he said his ministry had put in place a policy to domesticate science and technology knowledge as "no self-respecting government" contracts every job in the science and technology field to foreign consultants.

Isoun said the manpower gained in this regard "were actively involved in the design and construction of our two satellites currently in space and some of them are presently fully engaged in the monitoring of the performance of the satellites already launched and in the design and construction of our next generation Earth Observation System (EO) which shall have a much higher resolution than the current one."

The minister said when the Nigeria Communications Satellite (NIGCOMSAT-1) that was recently launched in China is fully deployed, the cost of GSM services is expected to be less than half the current values before the end of the year.

However, Managing Director of NIGCOMSAT Ltd, Ahmed Rufai, clarified that because the company was not in control of all the variables involved in the telecommunications sector, it will be impossible to say precisely when Nigerians will begin to benefit from cheaper cost of GSM services.
Relevant Links
West Africa
Nigeria
Science and Biotechnology
Economy, Business and Finance
ICT and Telecom

Rufai said a stakeholders meeting to discuss the issue was being planned, adding that with the launch of NIGCOMSAT-1, Nigeria has been launched into a flight of affordable telephony services by the generality of citizens.

Isoun also clarified recent media reports concerning the communications satellite, saying it was "neither procured on higher purchase nor by 'Build-Operate and Transfer' arrangement. It was a turnkey project partly funded by a loan obtained from Exim Bank of China and guaranteed by the Federal ministry of finance. This is to complement an investment of $50m in the project and over N5 billion infrastructure in Abuja."

According to the minister, the satellite with coverage over 38 African countries will cut down some $95 million spent on bandwidth by users in Nigeria and over $900 million by African users for telephone trunking and data transport service.

ALGIERS 06-03-2007 BRITISH IN ALGIERA JUNE 5-6

Co-operation algéro-British in the space one A high level delegation of the British space Agency (National British Space Center) will pay in the current of this week a visit which lies within the scope of the relations of co-operation in the field of the civil space activities between the British Agency and the Algerian space Agency. The British delegation will have, at the time of her visit in Algeria June the 5 and 6, of the discussions relating to the co-operation in the fields of the satellites of observation of the Earth, the telecommunications satellites, the infrastructures relating to the space activities as well as transfer of knowledge, formation and research. This visit intervenes less than one year after the signature of the memorandum of agreement on the co-operation in the civil space activities between the space agencies of the two countries. The document in question had been signed Algerian side by Dr. Azzedine Ousseddik, general manager of the Algerian space Agency, and the British side, by Lord Sainsbury of Turville, Secretary of State for science and the innovation. The memorandum constituted the first result of the historical visit paid by the President of the Republic, Abdelaziz Bouteflika, in the United Kingdom and which had provided the foundations of a multisector co-operation, in particular in the scientific field. The memorandum defines the framework of the co-operation and the fields of common interest in the civil activities of space and aims at facilitating the competence and technology, exchange of information. The two parts had then expressed the wish that the memorandum would open the way with a broad co-operation and concerning all the fields, including the setting in?uvre of joint projects which would be defined within a concerted framework. It is within this framework that is registered the visit of the British delegation which gathers representatives of two of the companies more in sight in the field of research and of the technological applications of which first is specialized in research in defense. At the time of the returned visit, two months ago, by the ambassador of Algeria in the United Kingdom and in Ireland, Mohamed Salah Dembri, with the seat of this company, its general manager had expressed his whole availability to cooperate with Algeria in various fields, in accordance with the provisions of the memorandum of agreement algéro-British in the field of the civil space activities. As at the company known under the name of SST, and which capitalizes a considerable experiment in the field of the small satellites and the application of terrestrial technologies of point, it the first Algerian experiment in the field had accompanied by the space activities with the design of Algerian satellite ALSAT 1 placed on orbit in November 2002.

The UK Government has announced a new co-operative deal with Algeria on future space projects. It was announced at the Farnborough Air Show where a new British Mars exploration vehicle was also on show.

BSN: 0629D
STORY: SPACE EXPLORATION
LOCATION: FARNBOROUGH, SURREY, UK


SHOT LIST:
(FARNBOROUGH, UK, 19 JULY 2006 & EADS ASTRIUM VNR RECENT – USED WITH PERMISSION)

1. GVs of aircraft at Farnborough International Air Show
2. F18 Hornet aerobatics
3. Airbus shots
4. GVs spectators
5. Exterior, Space pavilion
6. Lord Sainsbury takes podium with senior space scientists from around the world
7. Cutaways of audience
8. SOT (English speech) super: Lord Sainsbury, UK Minister for Science and Innovation
“The UK aims to be a world leader … “
9. Gv’s of conference in progress
10. GVs audience
11. SOT (English speech) super: Lord Sainsbury, UK Minister for Science and Innovation
“The space industry is a high-tech, rapidly growing industry … “
12. Lord Sainsbury watches demonstration of Mars rover in Space Pavilion
13. GVs of Mars rover being tested in Tenerife (EADS ASTRIUM VNR recent – used with permission)
14. GVs of Lord Sainsbury signing agreement with Algerian delegation


SUGGESTED INTRO:

The UK government signed an agreement with Algeria this week, on co-operation in space projects. The agreement to share expertise and experience came on day three of the biennial Farnborough International Air Show, one of the world’s largest aerospace trade fairs, held this week on a former military airfield near London.
Also on show, the prototype of a new British built mars exploration robot vehicle, which its designers hope will be parachuted onto the surface of Mars in the year 2011.


SCRIPT:

The Farnborough International Air Show is one of the world’s largest and has been showing off the latest aircraft technology every two years since 1962. But it’s not just about passenger planes and military aircraft, it’s also about satellite technology, rockets and space exploration.

The UK’s Minister for Science and Innovation, Lord Sainsbury, gave the keynote address at a seminar on the future for international co-operation in space research, flanked by the top space scientists from Russia, Japan, the USA and the European Space Agency.

SOT (English speech) super: Lord Sainsbury, UK Minister for Science and Innovation

“The UK aims to be a world leader in using space-based systems for science, commerce and the environment. In this, the British National Space Centre’s twenty-first year, it’s clear that international collaboration is central to us achieving that vision. More than half of the UK’s annual spend in space activities is invested in the programme of the European Space Agency, offering the UK the opportunity to take part in world class collaborative projects. The UK also, though, seeks out excellent work in other countries too.”

Lord Sainsbury said the UK and its European partners have already invested heavily in the commercial use of space through communication and observation satellites, and satellite navigation systems, and that it is an area of rapid growth which Britain is committed to.

SOT (English speech) super: Lord Sainsbury, UK Minister for Science and Innovation

“The space industry is a high-tech, rapidly growing industry with huge commercial opportunities. The UK space industry is worth four point eight billion in total and has seen an increase of eight per cent in the last year alone. So from a commercial point of view, space is very important to the UK and UK industry.“

On display in the Farnborough aerospace pavilion, a prototype of the British built mars rover vehicle, which its designers hope will be parachuted onto the surface of the red planet from a European Space Agency probe, in the year 2011.

The machine has already been put through its paces in Spain, where scientists have been testing its capabilities on the barren flanks of the Mount Teide volcano in Tenerife, where the landscape is similar to the surface of Mars.

Lord Sainsbury also signed a memorandum of understanding with a member of the Algerian space sciences delegation, promising co-operation between the British National Space Centre and its Algerian counterpart. Britain and Algeria are already co-operating in a satellite-based remote sensing project

Good for Africa

Algeria is seeking to market its Safir 43 and Firnas 142 light aircraft in South Africa. The country demonstrated these products of its infant aviation industry at the recent African Aerospace and Defence 2000 exhibition at Waterkloof Air Force Base, near Pretoria, marking the first time the Algerian-manufactured aircraft had been demonstrated outside their home country. “We started manufacturing the aircraft in 1993, although we initiated the project in 1987,” reports Entreprise de Construction Aeronautique (ECA) director-general Redouane Touhami.

Algeria is seeking to market its Safir 43 and Firnas 142 light aircraft in South Africa. The country demonstrated these products of its infant aviation industry at the recent African Aerospace and Defence 2000 exhibition at Waterkloof Air Force Base, near Pretoria, marking the first time the Algerian-manufactured aircraft had been demonstrated outside their home country. “We started manufacturing the aircraft in 1993, although we initiated the project in 1987,” reports Entreprise de Construction Aeronautique (ECA) director-general Redouane Touhami. “They are built under licence from the Czech Republic, but are manufactured completely in Algeria,” he explains. The aircraft were designed by the Zlin company, world-renowned for its light and aerobatic aircraft designs, and are marketed by the Czechs outside Africa as the Zlin 43 and Zlin 142. “We have the rights for the whole of Africa,” Touhami points out. “South Africa is interested in buying these aircraft, as are a number of Arab countries,” he adds. The Firnas 142 is a two-seater and the Safir 43 a four-seater. To date, ECA has built some 60 of the aircraft, for use by the Algerian Air Force, government departments and parastatal corporations in a variety of roles. These include basic training, aerobatic training, aerial surveying of powerlines and pipelines, as well as normal general aviation and utility duties, including banner and glider towing. The Safir 43 is also used as a medical-evacuation aircraft. “We are also considering manufacturing the Zlin 137T agricultural spraying and water-bombing aircraft, and we are thinking of developing a larger aircraft, with nine seats,” reports Touhami. It is likely that ECA-manufactured Z137Ts would be bought by the country’s agriculture ministry. The Firnas 142 is powered by a supercharged six-cylinder in-line piston engine with a maximum take-off power rating of 154 kW, and a cruising rating – with supercharger off – of 103 kW, driving a two-bladed propeller. The aircraft has a top speed of 333 km/h, a cruising speed of 215 km/h, endurance of more than six hours and a maximum range of 1 050 km. The maximum ceiling is 5 000 m. The four-seat Safir 43 has the same powerplant and propellor as the two-seat Firnas 142 and, although the range and endurance of the two types are similar, the Safir 43, is unsurprisingly the slower of the two, with a maximum speed of 307 km/h and a cruising speed of 212 km/h. Both aircraft have fixed tricycle landing gear. The ECA, located near Oran, at the western end of the Algerian coast, was created specifically to develop an Algerian aircraft-manufacturing industry.

http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fernas-142

Nigerian satellite dogged by 'mismanagement'



Nigerian satellite dogged by 'mismanagement'
The NASRDA logoFaith Jones
29 May 2007
Source: SciDev.Net

[ABUJA] As Nigeria celebrates the launch of its latest satellite, the government space agency has been accused of mismanaging an existing satellite.

Critics say the Nigerian earth observation satellite, NigeriaSat-1 ― built at a cost of US$13 million and launched into orbit in 2003 ― has failed to observe and prevent major disasters in Nigeria.

These include the Bellview Airlines plane crash near Lagos in 2005 and oil pipeline vandalism in Abulegba that killed 300 people in 2006.

Critics point to problems that arose after the launch at the Mission Control Ground Centre in Abuja, and hold the director general of the National Space Research and Development Agency, Robert Boroffice, responsible.

In 2004, Boroffice sacked the director of the centre, Solomon Adeniran. Shortly after, five engineers who manned the ground station were reported by Boroffice to the ministry of justice for stealing laptops containing operational software for the satellite. The engineers were sacked and six later left.

One of the sacked engineers ― who chose to remain anonymous ― denies stealing the software, and says Boroffice wrote to the ministry of justice accusing them of planning to crash NigeriaSat-1.

Boroffice hired new engineers, but these staff are not trained to the same level of the previous engineers, who had trained at Surrey Satellite Technologies Ltd in the United Kingdom.

The anonymous engineer said that the new engineers were "inexperienced and mediocre".

He said only four Surrey-trained engineers remain and that those manning the centre are merely reading data from mission centres of other satellites in the same area as NigeriaSat-1.

When contacted by SciDev.Net, Solomon Adeniran said he believed that all was not well at the centre.

He also expressed scepticism about the recently launched Nigeria Communication Satellite, NIGCOMSAT-1 (see Satellite launches boost African communications), saying he was unsure about the quality of equipment and staff, and management of its infrastructure.

Boroffice said that talk about the ground station not working is "rubbish''.

He said 11 engineers had left the centre "because they were impatient with our pace of progress'' while the remaining four are part of those undergoing training at Surrey for the building and launch of NigeriaSat-2.

He added that the engineers who had left pretended to be going abroad for further studies and though he was not interested in retaining them, he contacted the ministry of justice out of due process.

Nigeria: President Yar'Adua Launches NigComsat-1

10 July 2007
Posted to the web 10 July 2007

Abuja

President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua, has launched the first ever Pan-African Communication Satellite NigComsat-1 at the Congress Hall of the Transcorp Hilton, Abuja on Friday July 8 2007. With the launching, he said, Nigeria has signaled its determination to be a significant player in today's fast globalizing knowledge and technology driven world.

In a speech delivered on his behalf by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Alhaji Baba Gana Kingibe, the President re-emphasized Nigeria's recognition of the critical role of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in the achievement of our national development goals.

He noted that NigComsat-1 will impact massively on telecommunications, broadcasting, the internet, multimedia real monitoring services, navigation and global positioning systems.

He commended the China Great Wall Industry Corporation (CGW1C) the contractors responsible for the building and launching of the satellite, as well as the project consultants for a job well done.

Finally, he formally received delivery of NIGCOMSTAT-1 and declared the commencement of commercial activities by NIGCOMSAT LIMITED.

Nigeria: Nigcomsat Targets N10 Per Minute Tariff


16 July 2007
Posted to the web 16 July 2007

Oke Epia
Abuja

The need to bring the cost of GSM telephone service to as low as N10 per minute in the nearest future is part of the reasons that have informed the decision of the newly launched Nigerian Telecommunication Satellite, NIGCOMSAT-1 to provide end-to-end services to the country.

This was disclosed by the Board of NIGCOMSAT Ltd in a communiqué read to newsmen in Abuja weekend to debunk claims that the company is not mandated to provide direct consumer services in the telecoms sector.

Chairman of the Board, Prof. Ajayi Borofice, who read the communiqué issued from a meeting held on July 4, 2007, said NIGCOMSAT memorandum and articles of association clearly empower it to provide.

He said the company's current operation capacity of transponder leasing can only generate 30 percent of accruable revenue relative to its capabilities and that there is need to operate on a Unified Access License and 3G Spectrum to achieve a further 70 percent increment in revenue "to repay the loan and contract the design, manufacture and launch of additional satellites."

Borofice who is also the Director-General of the National Space Research Development Agency (NASRDA), said NIGCOMSAT is challenged to offer social benefits to the country including driving the cost of GSM telephony to as low as N10 per minute.

"The realization that the sale of bandwidth at a reduced rate to providers would not automatically drive the cost down as they may assimilate the reduction without transferring the reduction to customers necessitated that the company consider providing these end services," he said.Speaking in the company of other Board members including the Managing Director of NIGCOMSAT Ltd, Mr. Ahmed Rufai, Borofice said the Board decided at its last meeting that Management "should take every step necessary step to obtain the required license which has already received presidential approval."

Nigeria: Country to Send Astronaut to Space

Director General of National Space Research Development Agency (NASRDA) Professor Robert Borrofice has said Nigeria will send it first astronaut to space by the year 2015 and launch an indigenous satellite from the country without foreign assistance by 2018.
He disclosed this at a public lecture on space technology development in Nigeria yesterday organised by the National Centre for Remote Sensing (NCRS), Jos.
Represented by a Director in the agency, Dr. Joseph Akinyede, he said the second Nigerian satellite (SAT II) with a higher resolution than the first one would be launched in 2009.
He said space technology development would help cushion the devastating effects of natural disasters and other man-made problems through early warnings before they occur.
He challenged Nigerians to take interest in space technology which he said had become a part of our existence in this era of globalization.
Delivering a lecture on the role of NCRS on Nigeria 's satellite technology, its Director, Prof. Jacob Olorunfemi said space technology had been used in the area of agriculture, telecommunication and water resources development as well and the management of disasters among others.
He said the centre was out to advance knowledge through the research and application of space technology in various aspects of human endeavour.
He believed that the problem of cyber crime and vandalizing of pipelines would be greatly reduced by the time the Nigeria Sat-II was launched in about two years from now.

Source: http://allafrica.com/stories/200707260153.html

^^^Cool :)

True.:)