FUTA To Launch First Nigerian Edusat Into Space Thursday

By Victor Ernest

The Federal University of Technology (FUTA), Akure, will on Thursday launch a CubeSat, code named NigeriaEdusat-1, into space from the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida, United States.

The Nigerian CubeSat was designed, built and owned by FUTA in collaboration with the National Space Research and Development Agency, Nigeria, and the Kyushu Institute of Technology Japan.

CubeSats

NigeriaEdusat-1, is a component of the Birds 1 satellites, consisting of four other CubeSats belonging to Japan, Ghana, Mongolia and Bangladesh.

According to a statement from the Head, Media and Protocol Unit of the university,  Adegbenro Adebanjo, NigeriaEdusat-1 will be launched from the SpaceX Falcon9 Rocket.

”It is the first ever university satellite to be launched in Nigeria,” the statement read.

Aim of launch

The University authorities said the aim of the launch is to make satellite technology popular among members of staff and students of the insitution.

The purpose of popularising technology, according to the statement, is for ”research, resources and environmental management and sustainable socio-economic development of the nation.”

”The satellite technology development in the long run shall have spillover effects on Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics education that is an essential tool for a country industrial development,” the statement added.