Convinced that Space Science is critical in the development of any nation, Nigeria has completed work in the building of two more earth observation satellites, NigeriaSat 2 and Nigeria Sat X, said Seidu Mohammed, the Director General of National Space Research and Development Agency, NASRDA.

Mr. Mohammed, who stated that the satellites will be due for launch on October 2010, adding that specifically, the Nigeria Sat X was designed and built by 27 Nigerian Engineers.

“Satellite projects, like building projects, are in phases. We have finished most of the phases. The spacecraft are now ready. The Nigerian engineers were there to design and implement Sat X and they have done that and are back home.

“The next stage is to move the satellite to the site for launch. It takes a lot of time, the launching company has to look through its programme, get itself ready and by October, the satellite will be launched,” he said.

He further stated when the two satellites are eventually launched, they will impact positively on agriculture, defence, and almost all other sectors of the Nigerian economy.

“The fact that Nigerian Engineers designed and built Sat X brings confidence into us that it is possible here. We are going to provide data for efficient agriculture all over Nigeria, and the launch of Sat 2 with 2.5m resolution enables all cities to go ahead with cadastral plan to have information to increase their revenue, as Lagos State is doing now, and provide enough information about cultural development in terms of soil characterisation, water resources development, road corridor selection, and so on,” Mr. Mohammed said.

He also noted that Nigeria’s foray into the space science and technology world has enabled the development of a critical mass of space engineers, revealing that 15 engineers were trained for NigeriaSat, which will expire by December 2010. 54 were trained for NIGCOMSAT-1, while 27 were trained for Sat 2 and Sat X, with an additional 25 Scientists trained in geospatial application.

He added that it was only right for Nigeria to build its own satellite, considering the huge capital outflow to source satellite data. He said that today, space technologies have become integrated into everyday life, so deeply that modern and traditional societies cannot function without them.

“Survey conducted by NASRDA in 2004 showed that capital out-flow paid by African countries for their international telephone traffic is about $445 million per year, hence making tariff on communications the highest in Africa than in any other continent. Nigeria alone pays as much as $200 million per year to lease satellite transponders,” he said.

The Director General insisted that the space technology will help in addressing some environmental concerns in Nigeria.

“As a result of recent trends of earthquake in Haiti, Chile, Japan, and China and recent trends in crustal deformation in Nigeria, as evident by tremors in the country and continuous monitoring of Ife-Wara-Zungeru faults in Nigeria, the International Astronomy Agency, IAA, has approved the first expert study for Africa at the request of NASRDA,” he said.

“By this request, IAA is expected to put experts together all over the world to study the equatorial plane for the benefit of the countries within the equatorial region.”



http://234next.com/csp/cms/sites/Next/News/Metro/Politics/5560312-146/nigerian-built_satellites_for_launch_in_october.csp

Another Fraud?

Common electricity they can't provide . but they are building Satellites . rubbish

Why criticizing this?
Built by 27 nigerian engineers clearly thats something to be happy about
A satellite that will be launched to space is not joke buiding it but done by nigerians shows we can do other things ourselves instead of giving white idiots
YES WE CAN!

xterra2:

Why criticizing this?
Built by 27 nigerian engineers clearly thats something to be happy about
A satellite that will be launched to space is not joke buiding it but done by nigerians shows we can do other things ourselves instead of giving white idiots
YES WE CAN!

Did your post really make sense?

candylips:

Common electicity they can provide . but they are building Satellites . rubbish

Bad belle ke?

If we can wait for UN to supply us water so close, we can wait for satellites to provide us electricity from space

Hmmmmmmm!

Talk about skipping kindagarten classes straight to the University

Here is one classic example

ezeagu:

Did your post really make sense?

I can't find any sense in yours as well

Great move by the engineers. I wish them a successful launch!!!

Slowly but surely, we'll get there.

BTW. So, because electricity and water supply is unstable, every other thing should stand still

Is that how you people live your own lives

Nigerians are the greatest, unreasonable critics i have ever seen, and that is why we hardly move forward. There are too many other Nigerians standing around to draw you back!!!

Every African should take cover from October because the Nigerian satellite is bound to derail in space and for the second time, embark on a free fall towards the earth.

Iya Basira and Chinedu wants to know how much we are making from Nigcomsat-1 abi nat SAT 1

how has the first one helped us with agriculture, urban planning etc etc

how many people are employed as a result of this

Aloy+Emeka:

Every African should take cover from October because the Nigerian satellite is bound to derail in space and for the second time, embark on a free fall towards the earth.

Big time cover!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hope it's doesn't cause any chaos in africa.
O lord help us.

I actually seriously doubt that the Satellites were designed and bult by Nigerian Engineers, especially indigenous ones as the minister would have us believe.

I know i'm going to get seriously flamed here for saying this, though.

wow. you people REALLY hate your country huh?

Ikengawo:

wow. you people REALLY hate your country huh?

its not rocket science, when the chinese, indians, iranians etc make these sort of announcement, they back it up with visual footage or even make a documentary about it , they interview the new engineers, go through some models but nigeria na so so mouth

so your saying this 100% sure there are no interviews or anything of the sort about this?


100%? or are you saying this cause you first heard about it on this iste and assumed, out of what appears to be stupidity, that this thread is the only thing in the world about it.

Ikengawo:

so your saying this 100% sure there are no interviews or anything of the sort about this?


100%? or are you saying this cause you first heard about it on this iste and assumed, out of what appears to be stupidity, that this thread is the only thing in the world about it.

Don't mind us. . . Everybody is an expert at dissing his country on Nairaland. . . We have the solution to all the problems in Naija, even the ones we don't know anything about . . . And the solution is . . . Diss the Government, complain about everything (most times for no good reason), and do nothing else.

Ikengawo:

so your saying this 100% sure there are no interviews or anything of the sort about this?


100%? or are you saying this cause you first heard about it on this iste and assumed, out of what appears to be stupidity, that this thread is the only thing in the world about it.

100% sure there was no visual interview everything points to a press release, I watch NTA and AIT everyday and none of them showed anything about this recent announcement, so yes the site like many otehr nigerian website carried the 'press release-m ind you they all read the same even the wording were that of the typical copy and paste official announcement by a govt agency

I emailed the NASRDA and it wasn't delivered, now they have only a beta website http://www.beta.nasrda.net/index.html

for an agency getting billions of naira a year, having a website where students and investors can get up-to-date information is not asking for much really

@POST

It is a calculated intelligent insult on the brains that build satellite to be mentioned in the same sentence with a country such as Nigeria that can not build school desk made of wood. What an arrant nonsense.

ziga:

Don't mind us. . . Everybody is an expert at dissing his country on Nairaland. . . We have the solution to all the problems in Naija, even the ones we don't know anything about . . . And the solution is . . . Diss the Government, complain about everything (most times for no good reason), and do nothing else.

its not a diss, think about it you will get more information about this from the Contractors website http://www.sstl.co.uk/Missions/Current_Projects  than the government's web page http://www.nasrda.net/index.html

candylips:

Common electricity they can't provide . but they are building Satellites . rubbish

So until we have electricity, we should stop other things?

If this stuff can provide what it's being built for maybe we can start having some confidence in nigerians.

We are on track!I wait eagerly for the launch;for those who thought the other Nigerian satelites are not helping should know now that those satelites made nonsense of northern propaganda to claims that kano state has more population than lagos.that satelite settled that arguement once for all time,even though many in the north are refusing to believe the obvious fact!
They have greatly helped in other areas;what some should know is that,they have not been fully utilised.