Nigeria Space Programs
Nigeria launched its first satellite, NigeriaSat 1, into orbit in September 2003, after Nigerian experts underwent training in London. The National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA) is also embarking on the next generations of satellites: a communication satellite to be called NigcomSat-1 and a high resolution African Resources Management Constellation (ARMC) satellite, NigeriaSat-2.
Further plans to develop a communication satellite, NigeriaSAT-2, are in progress; it was recognized that ineffective communications represented one of the greatest barriers to socio-economic development and NigeriaSAT-2 would be designed to contribute to providing an adequate telecommunications system throughout Nigeria and regional coverage to ECOWAS countries.
In 1998, the National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA) was established by the Federal Government of Nigeria. The administration also set up a National Council on Space Science Technology to oversee the program, underscoring the importance with which government viewed the program, President Obasanjo was the chairman while Vice President Abubakar Atiku was the vice chairman.
The National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA) is part of the Federal Ministry of Science and Technology. The primary objective of NASRDA was to establish a fundamental policy for the development of space science and technology and to establish and coordinate the activities of Space Research Centres in the country. NASRDA will spend $93m in the development of a space program. Initial funding for NASRDA is spread over four years, beginning in 2001, after which it is expected to generate its own renenues.
The Ministry of Science and Technology started its existence as a Council in 1970 and then became for the first time, a full-fledged ministry in 1980. Consequently, the effective life span of the ministry today, is just 19 years, but unfortunately for the greater part of this period, it has been very bitter. This was a result of the ministry's checkered history of being merged and demerged from one ministry to the other until it finally got scrapped in 1992 and then got reestablished by the Shonekan interim Administration in 1993.
NASRDA is to have six centres including one handling space transport and propulsion. A space command centre at the Nigerian defence ministry will be created. The Centre for Atmospheric Sciences and Astronomy (CASA) at the University of Nigeria Nsukka is one of the four campus-based Centres for Space Science and Technology created recently by the National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA). The African Regional Center for Space Science and Technology Education – English [ARCSTEE] operates under the auspices of the National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA) Abuja. The history of this center can be traced back to a conference held in Vienna in 1982 (UNISPACE 82), which made a recommendation to the United Nations to help develop indigenous capabilities in space science and technology at the local level. While Nigeria was picked (with Obafemi Awolowo University as the host institution), to serve African countries where English is one of the official languages, it was decided that there was need for a separate center to cater for “Francophone” African countries. That center has since been established in Rabat, Morocco.
On 26 September 2003 Nigeria launched its $13 million national satellite NigeriaSat-1 in Plestek, Russia under a seven-nation constellation being handled by a Russian firm, Cosmos. Nigeriasat-1 is a low earth orbit micro satellite for disaster monitoring looking spacecraft, 5-year target design life-span orbit 700km. The launching of the National Satellite, which started development in November 2001, had been postponed from July 2003 because the Russian Space Agency had to launch a military satellite during that period. NigeriaSat-1 is one of five satellites which will make up a network called the Disaster Monitoring Constellation. The other partners in the international consortium are UK, China, Algeria, Turkey, Thailand and Vietnam. Each satellite belongs to one country, but they will share information with each other when disaster monitoring is needed. The Disaster Monitoring Constellation satellites, which cost less than $10 million each, are built by a British-based company, Surrey Satellite Technology, which has also trained technicians from Nigeria and some of the other countries involved. The processed images from the DMC will be distributed to relief teams by the Reuters AlterNet Foundation. The Reuters Foundation launched AlertNet in 1997 to help the work of relief professionals around the world.
Geomatics Nigeria Limited; Associate of Terfa Inc. selected satellite images (SPOT, LANDSAT, JERS-1, and ERS-1) acquired between 1976 and 1995 to cover all of Nigeria and to analyse change over this period. Images were analysed at 1:150,000 and mapped at 1:250,000 using easi-pace and arc-info. Ground-truthing occurred in all habitat types and existing land use regions. A follow-up study was made in 1997-98, using RADARSAT and some further work was done in 1995-99 to map forest reserves in more detail. Environmental, geological, socio-economic, and land use data were collected and digitized.
Remotely sensed data have been used in many vector disease studies. In Kwara State, Nigeria, a temporal analysis of Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) satellite data was used in 1992 to test the significance of the guinea worm eradication program based on changes in agricultural production.
The Interstate Forecasting Centre IFC was established in 1985 within the framework of HYDRONIGER Project for the benifit of the 9 Niger Basin Authority (NBA) member countries namely; Benin, Burkina-Faso, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea, Mali, Niger, Chad, and Nigeria, with the financial assistance from Donor Organisations such as the UNDP , EEC and OPEC, while the WMO was the supervising agent. The IFC under the NBA, in Niamey (the Niger Republic), has it primary objectives to assist the riparian countries in protecting the life and goods of their citizen, to augment food security and hydro-power, minimising the catastrophic effect of draught and flood. It's immediate objective was to establish a real time hydrological forecasting system covering river Niger and it's major tributaries. The Centre is equipped with an Argos Station Direct Receiver (ASDR) which, through NOAA satellites using ARGOS teletansmiting system, receives numerical signals emited by the Data Collection Platforms (DCP) that were stationed along the river Niger and its major tributaries. These DCP measure the fluctuation of river stage (depth). The frequency of reception by the ASDR from ARGOS satellite is usually between 3 to 5 times daily.
Ilorin, Nigeria (ILO) [Lat - 8.53, Lon - 4.57] is a CERES ARM Validation Experiment [CAVE] station which is part of the Baseline Surface Radiation Network (BSRN) under the World Radiation Monitoring Center (WRMC). BSRN is a project of the World Climate Research Programme (WCRP) aimed at detecting important changes in the earth's radiation field which may cause climate changes. At a small number of stations (fewer than 40) in contrasting climatic zones, covering a latitude range from 80°N to 90°S (see station maps), solar and atmospheric radiation is measured with instruments of the highest available accuracy and at a very high frequency (minutes).
The forerunner of NASA's Deep Space Network was established in January 1958, when JPL, then under contract to the U.S. Army, deployed portable radio tracking stations in Nigeria, Singapore, and California to receive telemetry and plot the orbit of the Army-launched Explorer 1, the first successful U.S. satellite. NASA was officially established on October 1, 1958, to consolidate the separately developing space-exploration programs of the Army, Navy, and Air Force into one civilian organization.
Because the Mercury orbital flight program required effective ground control during the unmanned and manned phases, a worldwide tracking and telemetry network was developed. Early in the project, the requirements for the network in terms of systems, installation, site locations, testing, and training for network personnel were established. Throughout the Mercury-Atlas orbital flight program, the Mercury Worldwide Network provided adequate and timely support in each of its charged responsibilities. The network was expanded to include the switching, conferencing, and monitoring (SCAMA) voice capability to Canary Island, Kano, Zanzibar, Canton Island, the Rose Knot Victor, and the Coastal Sentry Quebec. The tight schedule made it impossible to stagger construction at the various stations. Although first construction operations were not started until April 29, 1960, all stations were under construction by midsummer, and construction was completed at the last station in Kano, Nigeria, in March of 1961. Kano [ call signal KNO] was in northern Nigeria, about 845 km (525 mi) from the major seaport, Lagos, on the Gulf of Guinea. Most buildings were constructed of prefabricated galvanized sheet metal supported by rigid steel frames. In addition to the buildings housing electronic equipment, most stations contained power buildings, cooling towers, air handlers, water chillers, and hydropneumatic tanks. Diesel generators were installed to produce power to back up commercial power.
In August 1963, USNS Kingsport, the world's first satellite communications ship, relayed the initial live broadcast of a telephone conversation between Prime Minister Balawa in Nigeria and President John F. Kennedy in Washington via Synacom -- one of the first synchronous satellites launched.
The National Library of Medicine (NLM) at the NIH is carrying out a plan to enhance electronic communication facilities at major research sites in Africa, including the provision of informatics training. A VSAT (very small aperture terminal) system was selected for those sites where no other means was possible to connect them to the internet. Red Wing Satellite solutions in London provides the equipment, hub and connection to the internet via satellite. Proposed future installation sites include; the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR)/KEMRI in Nairobi, also sites in Cameroon, Nigeria, Malawi, Uganda, Burkina Faso if sufficient funding can be obtained.
Nigeria's television market, once reserved for official channels, was deregulated in 1995, resulting in the formation of eight private stations, and more than 20 satellite redistribution companies. Similarly, radio stations have expanded from wholly government-owned stations to include three private stations in the Lagos area. Many stations utilize large satellite dishes and decoders to pull in transmissions for rebroadcast, providing unfair competition for legitimate public and private television stations.
Digital Satellite Radio (DSR) is one of the new and exciting broadcast technologies which relies upon geo-synchronous satellites to send a one-way digital signal. The broadcast carries hundreds of music, talk, and data channels. RANET uses one of the data channels to help send content useful to rural populations and the National Hydro-Meteorological Services and related national entities. The channel RANET uses is shared by a variety of content providers who covering issues such as agriculture, health, technology, and education. Broadcast capacity over Africa is provided to RANET through a partnership with the WorldSpace Foundation.
Since his election in May 1999 (and re-election in April 2003), President Obasanjo has been faced with ongoing inter-ethnic tensions and persistent political and ethnic strife in the Niger Delta region, including violence, kidnapping, sabotage and the seizure of oil facilities, often disrupts Nigerian oil production. In an effort to stop vandalism, the Nigerian government has ordered satellite equipment from the United States to monitor pipeline and oil installations in the Niger Delta region.
Nigeria is considered one of the most corrupt countries in the world by international watchdog groups. It is estimated that U.S. business and citizens lose an estimated $1 billion per year to fraud, scams, and corruption of various kinds in Nigeria. Nigeria is considered Africa's largest market for pirated products. Losses from inadequate intellectual property rights (IPR) protection,
though difficult to quantify, are very substantial.
