Ethiopia launched its First Space Observatory Satellite

Ethiopia’s first remote sensing satellite was launched on Friday, 20th December 2019 from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Centre located in Shanxi Province of China. The Satellite named- ETRSS-1, was launched as a secondary payload into space by the 3-stage Chinese orbital carrier rocket- Long March 4B (CZ-4B).
ETRSS-1 will be used for mining, environmental observations, and agriculture that will allow the country located in the Horn of Africa to collect data and monitor the changing weather patterns.
In collaboration with 21 scientists from Ethiopia, the China Academy of Space Technology (CAST) developed the satellite as the prime contractor.
As per the agreement on technology-transfer between Beijing and the Ethiopian Space Science Technology Institute (ESSTI), the 21 Ethiopian scientists were trained during the project by CAST. The entire cost including setting up of ground station in Ethiopia, reported for the project was USD 8 million out of which funding of USD 6 million was provided by China, while the remaining USD 2 million by the Ethiopian Government.