Kenya will be launching its first software-defined nanosatellite later this year, according to the two companies behind the development and launch of the satellite.
SayariLabs, a Kenyan space company, and EnduroSat, a provider of software-defined nanosatellites and space services for business and academia, are joining forces to launch TAIFA-1, which they call Kenya’s first software-defined nanosatellite.
TAIFA-1 will be launched on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. It is scheduled for launch in the fourth quarter of this year.
In the past decade East Africa has been hit with heavy droughts and wildfires, causing water crises and damage to local agriculture and food supplies. TAIFA-1 will be loaded with a hyperspectral, earth-observation camera that will empower customers with environmental, wildlife, agricultural monitoring, and land use mapping, in order to help prevent or manage such disasters in the region.
To support the launch, EnduroSat has organized two weeks of educational training dedicated to space systems and engineering, covering all aspects of mission analysis, design and spacecraft assembly for the engineering team of SayariLabs under a partnership between the companies.
“Our partnership with EnduroSat, a leading company in this industry, is a major game-changer and it strengthens our hope and belief of being a major space and satellite solution provider in Kenya, the African region and other parts of the world,” Aaron Nzau, founder and CEO of SayariLabs, said in a statement.
EnduroSat is one of the fastest-growing space companies in Europe, with a team comprised of more than 70 developers, engineers, and scientists. EnduroSat software-defined NanoSats enable plug and play payload integration and open unique capability to fly fast and improve customers’ technology in space.
SayariLabs says its use of nanosatellite technology and a focus on the Kenyan region enables it to bring high-resolution satellite images to customers affordably and at a high frequency, powering their ability to track changes over the region.
