Djibouti launches first-ever operational satellite for climatological transmission

FILE PHOTO: Handout of United States and South Korean troops utilizing the Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) and South Korea's Hyunmoo Missile II, fire missiles into the waters of the East Sea, off South Korea

FILE PHOTO: United States and South Korean troops utilizing the Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) and South Korea's Hyunmoo Missile II, fire missiles into the waters of the East Sea, off South Korea, July 5, 2017. 8th United States Army/Handout via REUTERS

Djibouti has successfully deployed its inaugural operational satellite into orbit using SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket after three years of development and engineering by the country’s research team, Djibouti Study and Research Center (CERD).

The satellite launch took place at Vandenberg Space Base in California, November 11, 2023, local news outlet La Nation has confirmed.

The operational satellite named DJIBOUTI 1-A was positioned in orbit at an altitude of 520km and designed primarily to transmit real-time climate data which would be communicated across seismic stations in Djibouti.

In March, the satellite successfully underwent vibration tests at a collaborative CSUM/Latecoere facility in France. The outcomes indicated that the test levels and duration align entirely with the launch parameters.

Djibouti's Minister of Higher Education and Research Mr. Nabil Mohamed Ahmed in a press statement said, "We have established all the essential elements for the success of this project. Firstly, the selection of Djiboutian students, as the goal was not just to purchase the satellite but to have it constructed by our students, facilitating a technological leap. This accomplishment asserts that Djibouti is capable of satellite manufacturing, launching, obtaining climate-related results, and delving into development perspectives. As a result, ten technicians and engineers have been trained."

DJIBOUTI 1-A was developed through the collaborative capacity-building initiative involving Djibouti and its technical collaborator, the Centre Spatial Universitaire de Montpellier (CSUM), and Djiboutian engineers and technicians in France.

In 2024, the country hopes to launch the second phase of the project dubbed, DJIBOUTI-1B, Space in Africa has confirmed.

Etornam Kornu