All set for launch of Kenya’s earth observation satellite

Barring sudden changes, something of monumental importance to Kenya will at 9.44pm (EAT) on Tuesday break free from the gravitational pull of the Earth’s surface and head to a place 550 kilometres above the planet, where it will spend the next couple of years looking down and taking photos.

It will be a Sh50 million satellite weighing less than 10 kilogrammes that will be carried aboard a SpaceX rocket from the United States alongside tens of other rockets to a region called the sun-synchronous orbit—where the sun literally never sets.

That means the satellite, Taifa-1, which is called a nanosatellite in technical terms because of the miniature size of its components, will have access to sunlight throughout. That will ensure its solar supply of electricity remains constant. A team from Kenya is travelling to the US this weekend to witness the launch. The Kenya Space Agency (KSA), the country’s equivalent of America’s National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Nasa), says this won’t be the first satellite Kenya will be sending to space. But, according to KSA’s acting director-general Hillary Kipkosgei, this will be the first operational satellite.

The last time a government-backed satellite was sent into space was in 2018. It was a third the size of the one that will go into space on Tuesday. “It wasn’t able to do much in terms of giving us data. It was just a capacity-building tool. We have since learnt from it,” he said.

Mr Kipkosgei, in an interview with the Saturday Nation on Thursday, lauded Taifa-1 as an essential tool for Kenya’s technological advancement. It is an earth observation satellite, meaning its core functions will be to monitor how Kenya is changing.

“It is loaded with two cameras. The intention is to take imagery of Kenya's surface. From this imagery, because it will be taking repeated imagery, you can use those images to discern some information. For example, if you have an image that was taken over a forest repeatedly, you can notice change or a trend in what is happening to that forest. And this could apply to every other resource,” he explained.

“So, you’re able to notice changes and so you can direct interventions to where you see a forest is being degraded or there is a water body that is possibly being polluted.”

Until a few years ago, satellites were heavy, bulky devices that cost an arm and a leg to make. But as science embraces miniaturisation of gadgets, nanosatellites have made satellite technology more accessible. Tiny as they may be, the new crop of satellites does the work done by their bulky predecessors and are cost-friendly and durable.

Mr Kipkosgei said this affordability has enabled Kenya to invest in systems that deliver the capabilities the country needs without breaking the bank. He said Kenya hopes to eventually have a network of interconnected satellites rather than rely on a single one. “[That will ensure] you have almost constant coverage. And that is where you’ll be able to support time-critical operations like security,” he said.

If all goes well and the satellite launched on Tuesday takes the place it has been programmed to take,Mr Kipkosgei said it will fly over Kenya once every four days as it orbits the entire earth.

“It is in that period when it is overflying Kenya – roughly seven minutes – that we will be able to download data,” said Mr Kipkosgei, noting that the download will happen at a facility being set up in Kasarani, Nairobi.

“Roughly, every four days, it will be over Kenya. It could be slightly shorter than that, but that is the estimate we have,” he noted.

Mr Kipkosgei, an engineer by training who joined the military then got absorbed into military aviation, also acknowledges the support of foreign institutions and the government in nurturing the country’s space sector.

Some critics have questioned the cost of the nanosatellite. One of them posted on Facebook that Sh50 million is too high for such a small device. In response, Mr Kipkosgei asked Kenyans to research other countries’ satellite expenses for comparison. He explained that insurance was one of the most demanding bills.

“For this, we paid about Sh12 million, just for the insurance alone. I think it is good to understand it from that perspective.”

He explained why those who launch the machines put a premium on insurance. “If anything goes wrong with the launch, we should be able to recover the cost of development. So, there is a huge premium that goes in the cost of insurance for the launch and ensuring it gets into orbit and operates for the period.”

Mr Kipkosgei remains optimistic about Kenya’s future in space. When asked if the country could reach the level of having a constellation of satellites offering internet access like advanced nations, he responded that Kenya hopes to get there eventually. Currently, he said, the focus is to have Earth observation satellites to tackle pressing issues like agriculture, natural resource management, and climate change.

Taifa-1 was jointly made by Kenyan and Bulgarian specialists. So, exactly what role did Kenya play in its creation? “Our contribution to this was largely in the conception, the design of the mission, and the actual design of the sub-components. So, all that was done locally,” he said. “But because we do not have that manufacturing capability, we relied on our partners to do the actual manufacturing of those parts, the integration of those parts, the testing of the build-up system and the actual qualification.”

The Saturday Nation interviewed the Kenyan engineers involved in the project and learnt that the project is a product of the hard work, collaboration, and innovation of some of Kenya’s brightest minds. They included Major Hope Deche, who leads the ground receiver segment; Captain Aloyce Were, who oversees the structural and mechanism aspects; and Rose Njogu Wanjiku, who leads the thermal subsystem. Additional team members include Pattern Odhiambo, who leads the communication subsystem.

Taifa-1 is equipped with cutting-edge technology, featuring a multispectral camera capable of detecting vegetation and a panchromatic camera that can identify details as small as 16 metres.

Major Deche explained that once the satellite is launched, the KSA will manage and analyse the collected data at the Kasarani station. The station will allow engineers to monitor the satellite’s health and download collected data, which will then be pre-processed at the Mission Operations Centre before being ingested into geospatial monitoring and analysis tools for further examination.

Fixing problems

These insights will be used to address Kenya’s challenges, including improving food security.

“The data collected by the satellite will enable geospatial engineers to predict crop yields and analyse vegetation to determine whether crops are thriving or suffering due to suboptimal conditions,” said Mr Deche. “With this valuable information, farmers can adjust their farming practices and take measures to increase productivity, ultimately improving food security in the country.”

Regarding the satellite’s positioning in orbit, Mr Deche explained: “The satellite has got subsystems, and one of the subsystems involves giving it the direction and heading to keep it within a certain plane of rotation. That is the one that maintains it in orbit. And the orbit that is selected is one that sometimes will overfly Kenya.”

However, during much of its journey along the sun-synchronous orbit, the satellite will not be overflying Kenya, and communication with the ground receiver station will not be possible.

Captain Were, the project’s structural and mechanism lead, highlights the partnerships forged to make Taifa-1 a reality. “We had to partner with another entity in this case, Extra Launch, who provide ride-sharing services using SpaceX Falcon 9 launch vehicles. We expect these benefits to cascade down to common agriculture so that all people can be interested in the field.”

They added that the success of Taifa-1 will be measured in terms of how reliable the system can be when operated by Kenyans, as well as how many people are inspired to pursue careers in the space industry.

Pattern Odhiambo, the communication subsystem lead, said Taifa-1 was inspired by Kenya's challenges in food security, natural resource mismanagement, and internal and border security issues. He adds that the country has historically depended on foreign satellite services, which are often costly and have limited access.

Mr Odhiambo is enthusiastic over the satellite’s capabilities: “The satellite has a multispectral camera that can see beyond the visible colour spectrum and a swath width of 32 kilometres, enabling it to take an image of an area as wide as 32 kilometres. The satellite can detect changes in agricultural farm produce and vegetation, monitor the infrastructural development of cities, and map the country.”

Mr Odhiambo further explains that Taifa-1 will improve food security by enabling specialists to analyse crop health and compare yields across Kenya.

“By monitoring farm inputs and yield changes over different seasons, farmers will adopt the best farming practices suited for Kenya’s unique conditions,” he said.

However, developing Taifa-1 was not without challenges.

“Satellite development generally is a complicated undertaking. And this comes against the backdrop of an environment where we have low technical capacity. We have a low level of investment in space sciences and technologies. We do not have significant infrastructure in terms of satellite systems engineering,” added Odhiambo.

Even Tuesday’s launch, Mr Kipkosgei said, can be postponed due to weather.

“We will provide updates of any changes in terms of the date and time of the launch because weather is a factor and this could potentially change,” he said.

According to Odhiambo, there is still a long way to go, and the agency is using Taifa-1 as a launching pad to develop more capabilities and even more capable systems for the nation’s socio-economic development.

Kenyan engineers faced a steep learning curve as they had not built such systems locally. Additionally, the facilities needed to develop space-grade equipment were scarce, and certification tests were unavailable locally. This led to partnerships with foreign entities, adding to the project's costs. The Covid-19 pandemic-induced shortage of electronic chips also delayed the project by numerous months.

Once launched, Taifa-1 will operate in space for three to four years (Mr Kipkosgei said it can be up to five) before experiencing orbital decay and burning up upon re-entering Earth’s atmosphere. The satellite will be monitored by a ground station through radio links, automating the process of contacting and controlling the satellite.

“Most satellites have a service life of five years. And even this one has a designed service life of five years. The reason why satellites rarely go beyond this period is that the space environment is very harsh, and there are many physical factors that degrade the performance,” said the acting KSA boss.

Mr Kipkosgei encourages young students to take an interest in space matters, emphasising that space science and technologies are the future of the country and the world.

“There are immense opportunities in space sciences and technologies. There are a lot of applications right now because there is an enormous amount of data that we derive from space assets,” he said.

In efforts to encourage more young people to join the space industry, there have been several efforts in various institutions to develop Kenya's national space capability, including Machakos University, Kenyatta University, and private initiatives like SayariLabs.

KSA, a State corporation under the Ministry of Defence, is tasked with promoting, coordinating and regulating space-related activities. Its primary focus is to nurture the growth of Kenya's space sector.

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