Tuesday, August 8, 2017

Ghana enters the space race!


Tiny African country Ghana has entered the space race, becoming the first sub-Saharan country to launch a satellite.  GhanaSat-1 was launched from Kennedy Space Center in June, released from the International Space Station last month, and began orbiting last week.

With support from the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency, the satellite was designed, assembled and tested by three students at All Nations University for a price tag of about $500,000.  It is a tiny satellite, measuring about 4” square and weighing about 1kg.  GhanaSat-1 will monitor the coastline for mapping and data collection.  It could also monitor illegal mining activities. 


Ghana hopes its entry into the space race will attract wealthy investors and increase employment.






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