In a significant milestone for Uganda’s space ambitions, the PearlAfricaSat-1, the country’s first satellite was launched from the International Space Station (ISS) on November 7 built by Ugandan Engineers namely Edgar Mujuni, Derrick Tebusweke, and Bonny Omara in Japan.
The engineers designed PearlAfricaSat-1 to provide research and observation data in six primary areas. These areas include weather forecast; land, water and mineral mapping; agriculture monitoring; infrastructure planning; border security, and disaster prevention.
The core missions for PearlAfricaSat-1 were multispectral camera payload. The Multispectral Camera mission was to provide about 20-metre resolution images for Uganda to facilitate water quality, soil fertility, and land use and cover analysis. The project included training of student engineers and procurement of equipment for the ground station, testing and launch services. As Uganda sets its sights on a new era of space exploration, the successful completion of the PearlAfricaSat-1 mission served as a testament to the country’s growing prowess in space technology.