Ethiopia plans to launch a second satellite into space in October 2020 with the help of China, Space in Africa reported citing source close to the matter. The satellite will be a 6U nanosatellite with high resolution and developed in Ethiopia by engineers at the Ethiopian Space Science and Technology Institute (ESSTI).
The primary mission of the satellite program is to expose Ethiopian engineers and scientists to hands-on experience and demonstrate the Institute’s capability in integrating nanosatellite subsystems locally. The nanosatellite will add to ESSTI’s capacity in Earth observation and provide vital remote sensing data over the Ethiopian territory.
China has agreed to provide an unspecified amount of financial support as well as technical support to the satellite build and launch project which will culminate with the sending of the nanosatellite into low-earth orbit.
