This is one of the first operational missions assigned to Kenya’s very first 100% earth observation satellite. Over the next five years, the satellite images and meteorological data provided by Taifa-1 will help to protect the mountain bongo, a species of antelope threatened with extinction.
The Kenya Space Agency
(KSA) and the Mount Kenya Nature Reserve (MKWC) signed a partnership agreement
on 5 December 2023 in the capital, Nairobi, to save the mountain bongo from
extinction through the use of geospatial technologies. The five-year
partnership will make use of satellite images and meteorological data provided
by Taifa-1, Kenya's first satellite.
Thanks to data from
Taifa-1, it will now be possible to track the movements of mountain bongos,
providing invaluable information for ensuring their safety and promoting their
development in the country's mountainous regions. This cutting-edge technology
will also make it possible to obtain precise meteorological data, providing
essential information for monitoring the environmental conditions affecting the
bongo population and their natural habitat.
The mountain bongo, whose
scientific name is Tragelaphus eurycerus isaaci, is a critically endangered
species. This animal now lives in only a few regions of Kenya, including the
Aberdare Mountains, Mount Kenya and the Mau Forest in the Great Rift Valley.
Their population is now estimated at just a hundred individuals.
The Taifa-1 satellite
Taifa-1 is not the first
mission of its kind. In July 2023, a collaboration was established between the
Kenyan Space Agency and the American NGO Tomorrow Now, with the aim of using
space data to better anticipate climate crises such as droughts and floods.
Taifa-1 is not the first
mission of its kind. In July 2023, a collaboration was established between the
Kenyan Space Agency and the American NGO Tomorrow Now, with the aim of using
space data to better anticipate climate crises such as droughts and floods.
Taifa-1, which means
Nation-1 in Swahili, is the very first earth observation satellite, designed
entirely by Kenyan engineers. Equipped
with optical sensors capable of taking photos simultaneously in several
frequency ranges, within and beyond the visible light spectrum, the satellite
was launched into orbit on 15 April 2023 from a US base in California. With
this operation, Kenya joins the fifteen or so African countries that have
embarked on the conquest of space.
Fanta Mabo
