The satellite is a small shoebox-sized block that will take pictures of the Earth and collect data.
“History is on the way. #ZimSat1 is in space!” wrote government spokesman Nick Mangwana on Twitter, hailing the achievement as “an important scientific step for the country”.
A rocket took off at 10:32 GMT (same time in Lisbon) in Virginia, United States of America, a payload bound for the International Space Station (ISS), carrying three CubeSats developed by Zimbabwe, Uganda and Japan, NASA confirmed .
History unfolds.#ZimSat1 space bound now! pic.twitter.com/NX2gEGhPt6
— Nick Mangwana (@nickmangwana) Nov 7, 2022
“Satellites will take pictures of Earth to collect weather and disaster dataThe US space agency also said on Twitter, in a post that included a photo of the small technology centers, each decorated with their national flags.
The collected images will also make it possible to distinguish between unforested land and agricultural land that can be used “to improve the livelihoods of Ugandan and Zimbabwean citizens,” the US space agency NASA also said in a statement.
Zimbabwe has been working on the project since 2018, less than a year after the inauguration of President Emmerson Mnangagwa, who succeeded Robert Mugabe and founded the Zimbabwe National Geospatial and Space Agency (Zingsa).
In this poverty-stricken country with a weakened economy, the announcement of a satellite orbiting the Earth sparked outrage on social media. The cost of the project has not been disclosed.
WHY A SATELLITE IS A PRIORITY:
BENEFITS:
➖ Improves mineral mapping.
➖Informs infrastructure management and mapping.
➖Weather Forecasts
➖Disaster Monitoring
➖Water Quality Management
➖Soil Fertility Management
➖Drought Predictions
➖Landslide Prediction #zimsat1 pic.twitter.com/mHAQJeu4KT— Nick Mangwana (@nickmangwana) Nov 6, 2022
“Launching a satellite when the economy is fragile is stupid. Poverty has increased in the last five years. You can’t buy a car when your family is hungry,” wrote one who signs as @patriot263 on social media.
Zimbabwe has been in a deep economic crisis for 20 years and continues to be the target of international sanctions.
In September, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) released new downward growth forecasts, mainly due to the decline in agricultural production.
Source: DN
