Kenya Launched Its First Operational Earth Observation Satellite "Taifa-1"

Tags: Science and Technology International News

Kenya launched its first operational Earth observation satellite "Taifa-1" on a rocket of Elon Musk's rocket company ‘SpaceX’ from Vandenberg Base in California on 15 April 2023.

An Overview of the News

• The launch rocket carried 50 payloads from various countries, including Turkey, under SpaceX's 'rideshare programme'.

• Taifa-1 was designed and developed by SayariLabs and EnduroSat and the satellite was built over two years at a cost of 50 million Kenyan shillings ($372,000).

• The satellite's primary purpose is to collect agricultural and environmental data, including floods, droughts and wildfires, to help Kenya deal with disaster management and food insecurity.

Taifa-1

• It is an optical camera that can take pictures in both multispectral and panchromatic modes.

• The satellite can operate in and out of the visible light spectrum, allowing it to capture images even in low light conditions.

• Taifa-1 is capable of capturing images in five different multispectral bands.

• The Ground Sampling Distance (GSD) of Taifa-1 is 32 m for the multispectral band and 16 m for the panchromatic band.

About Kenya

Republic -12 December 1964

Capital -Nairobi

Official languages - Swahili, English

Currency - Kenyan shilling (Kesia)

Government -Unitary presidential republic

President - William Ruto

Deputy President - Rigathi Gachagua

Senate President - Amason Kingi

Assembly Speaker - Moses Wetangula

Chief Justice - Martha Koome