Thanks to GhanaSat-1, the West African country Ghana can now count itself among the list of countries with a satellite of its own floating up there in space.
The GhanaSat-1 was developed by students at the All Nations University located in Koforidua with support from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). The satellite wad deployed from the International Space Center and began relaying messages back to Earth shortly afterward.
A group of about 400 people including engineers gathered at Koforidua to be among the first people to watch the signals from the GhanaSat-1. It was all jubilation when the first signal from the satellite was received. The development and launching of the satellite came with a $50,000 price tag.
The satellite is said will be used to do a monitor the country’s coastline for mapping purposes. It is also the first step Ghana has taken towards space exploration.
Dr Richard Damaoah, the project coordinator in a statement, said the launching of GhanaSat-1 was just the beginning. “It has opened the door for us to do a lot of activities from space.”
Damaoah further adds that the satellite would “also help us train the upcoming generation on how to apply satellites in different activities around our region. For instance, (monitoring) illegal mining is one of the things we are looking to accomplish.”
