The American space agency, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has on Sunday called off the launch of Uganda’s first satellite.
The PearlAfricaSat-1 satellite was to be launched by NASA in Virginia, the United States.
The Ugandan Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Dr Monica Musenero told reporters that the launch has been called off due a fire alarm at the launching facility, and announced that the launch has been pushed to tomorrow, Monday.
“NASA has called off the launch due to a fire alarm, and the satellite launch will take place tomorrow [Monday],” Musenero told reporters in Kampala on Sunday.
In April 2020, Uganda took a significant step towards creating an indigenous space program by sending three engineers; Edgar Mujuni, Derick Tebusweke, and Bonny Omara, to obtain training in satellite design, build, test, launch, and operation as part of the BIRDS-5 project, led by Kyushu Institute of Technology, Japan.
On May 10, 2022, the satellite built by Ugandan engineers, named PearlAfricaSat-1, was handed over to the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) for final testing.
The satellite successfully completed all tests and was subsequently handed over to NASA for launch and deployment.
After the launch on Monday as Dr Musenero promised, the satellite will subsequently be deployed into low earth orbit in December 2022.
Uganda is also setting up an Earth Station at Mpoma in Mukono District for command, control, and management of its satellite here in Uganda by Ugandans.
PearlAfricasat-1 has a multispectral camera payload which will provide research and observation high-resolution image data to support weather forecasting; land, water, and mineral mapping; agriculture monitoring; infrastructure planning; border security, and disaster prevention.
“With our own data, analysis and prediction of weather, water quality, soil fertility, landslides, and drought will be more efficient. The satellite will also play a vital role in planning, resource management, and environmental impact assessment in our oil and gas industry,” said Musenero.