Why there’s a rush of African satellite launches

But venturing into space is still seen in Africa as “something for the elite,” says Jesse Ndaba, co-founder and managing director of Astrofica Technologies, a South African space technology company that develops satellites. Business at her firm overall remains “very slow,” she adds.

Considering the mass threat emanating from the continent She believes that due to climate change, space technology should be used to monitor food and resources. In contrast, an African space race to reach the Moon or Mars will not be beneficial: “We need to look at the problems we face in Africa and find ways to solve them.”

For Sarah Kimani of the Kenya Meteorological Department, satellites have proven invaluable in helping her and her colleagues monitor dangerous weather conditions. She remembers using Earth observation data provided by Eumetsat, externalEuropean satellite agency to monitor a major dust storm in March. “We were able to determine the direction of this dust storm,” she says.

Later this year, she and her colleagues will begin receiving data from the latest generation of Eumetsat spacecraft, which will provide tools for monitoring wildfires and lightning, among other benefits. “This will help us improve our early warning systems,” adds Ms Kimani, noting that the collaboration with Eumetsat has been “very effective and efficient”.

Climate change brings meteorological threats that can occur quickly, from severe storms to severe drought. “The intensity of these hazards … is changing,” Ms. Kimani said, noting that satellite data, which could be updated every five minutes or less, would help meteorologists track such events.

She also argues that Kenya, which launched its first operational Earth observation satellite into orbit last year, will benefit from having more of its own weather spacecraft in the future. Just like other African countries in general. “Only Africa understands its own needs,” says Ms Kimani.