Ethiopia launched its first two Earth observation satellites, respectively in December 2019 and December 2020. The country plans to launch ten space equipment by 2035.
Ethiopia is expected to launch its third Earth observation satellite (ETRSS-2) within the next two years, reports The Ethiopian News Agency (ENA) . The state news agency quotes Abdisa Yilma (photo), director general of the Institute of Space and Geospatial Sciences (SSGI).
The Ethiopian government has already launched a financial and economic feasibility study for the project, we learn. The study is expected to take into account the experience of previous satellites and will use the data to clearly define further missions. Furthermore, an international call for tenders should be launched in the coming months.
The new satellite will replace Ethiopia’s first two Earth observation satellites, ETRSS-1 and ET-SMART-RSS. Launched in December 2019 and December 2020 respectively, these two machines have already completed their service period and accomplished their mission. The data collected has been used for agriculture, tourism, land management, natural resource management, disaster risk reduction and other activities, among others.
The initiative is part of the Ethiopian government’s ambition to harness space technologies to address the country’s socio-economic challenges, building on the National Space Policy launched in December 2018. On the horizon 2035, the executive plans to launch ten new satellites including a telecoms satellite. The country also acquired, in 2022, a multi-satellite data reception and monitoring station, capable of receiving high-quality data from satellites.