Ethiopia to launch first-ever satellite in December with China's help

ADDIS ABABA - The Ethiopian President Sahle-Work Zewde on Monday disclosed that Ethiopia's first-ever satellite will be launched into space in December this year with support from the Chinese government.

"The first Ethiopian satellite will be launched in December this year from a center in China," said Zewde, while addressing the new parliamentary session of the Ethiopian House of People's Representatives (HoPR) and the House of Federation (HoF), which was opened in a joint meeting on Monday.

Ethiopia is presently developing the country's first-ever satellite, a 70kg Multi-Spectral Remote Sensing Satellite, known as ETRSS-1, through support from the Chinese government.

According to Zewde, the Ethiopian government envisages that the country's maiden satellite, once it commences its operations, would help the East African country's efforts to modernize its agricultural sector.

"The satellite will provide all the necessary data on changes in climate and weather-related phenomena that would be utilized for the country's key targets in agriculture, forestry as well as natural resources protection initiatives," Zewde told members of the two houses.

The satellite, which is set to be launched from China, will have its command and control center in Ethiopia at the Entoto space observatory facility -- East Africa's only space observatory facility located on the 3,200-metre hills of Entoto on the outskirt of the capital Addis Ababa, it was noted.

In April this year, the Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed had also visited the China Academy of Space Technology to inspect Ethiopia's 70kg Multi-Spectral Remote Sensing Satellite ETRSS-1, during his stay in China when he attended the second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation that was held from April 25 to 27 in Beijing, capital of China.

The Ethiopian Space Science and Technology Institute has been co-developing the East African country's Multi-Spectral Remote Sensing Satellite ETRSS-1, according to the Ethiopian government.

ETRSS-1, which already recognized as the East African country's first-ever satellite, once launched into space, is expected to monitor weather patterns for better agricultural planning, drought early warning and forestry management, it was noted.