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In the last few
years, Nigeria has successfully launched two satellites: a
geo-stationary earth orbit and a communication satellite. Another earth
observation satellite, Nigeriasat-2 is due for launch in May.

Authorities are
also building small units of satellites, called Pico satellites. The
satellites, will also be used in supplying real time information on
ecological problems and emergency situations.

In this interview,
the chief executive of the Centre for Satellite Technology Development
(CSTD) Abuja, Spencer Onu, speaks on Nigeria’s progress in satellite
technology. Excerpts:

The Pico satellites

The project has
progressed. We are working very hard and as I speak to you, somebody is
already in the United States getting the components for the satellite
for us. We are going to be ready in June. By then, we must have
achieved significant milestones. We have passed beyond the design
stage, done critical review, and are now procuring major component and
subsystems. The next step is to get it space qualified by going through
a number of tests involving sending signals and receiving responses on
ground and, after that, we think of the launch. By December, we will be
ready for launch, although we missed a step in the process in terms of
frequency allocation. But we discussed with the Nigeria Communications
Commission and they advised us to use microwave, which does not require
ITU approval.

N5 billion annually from pico satellite

Normally it will
cost about $30 million to build pico satellites for such size, but we
are looking at spending $80million considering other logistics
associated with it. The economic impact is enormous, because you are
looking at satellite that can generate information worth more than a
billion naira in a year when fully operational. This will be generated
from sales of satellite imageries. We are to produce images needed for
African economies. Images such as those required for emergency
management and monitoring of projects like the Millennium Development
Goals. We are still talking with the MDGs office, to let them see what
we can offer them and what we can do together. How we are going to do
it is that the MDGs office can tell us, look we have this number of
projects in Kwara State. These are the latitudes and longitudes, these
are photographs from contractors, can you give us images of the
projects? I think what they are experiencing now is that projects
people claim to be there are not there. So, with our satellite
imageries, they can compare with images submitted by the contractors.
The satellite will be programmed in such a way that it passes through
Nigeria four times a day. When you look at our projection for the MGDs
office alone, they will need images worth about N3 billion alone in a
year. That is just a sector in Nigeria. There is the National Emergency
Management Agency and others that use Geographic Information System. We
are looking at generating about N5billion annually from Nigeria alone.
Other African countries are market for us as well.

Inadequate human capital

Our vision is
continental leadership for satellite technology development, but South
Africa seems to be ahead of us. South Africa satellite agency spends
$0.08 billion annually on their satellite programme, while Nigeria
spends $0.06 billion. They are using pico satellites in South Africa
and they have launched about two, one of them late last year. Also a
number of universities in the United States do this in conjunction with
the private sector. In the United Kingdom, the European Space Agency
runs a programme for the universities and builds about nine every other
year. Some countries have 12 or 13 of this satellites in order to get
as much information as possible.

If we want to be
leaders, then we should be steps ahead. Our sister agency in South
Africa has more than 300 PhD holders, with both support staff scientist
and engineers. As a research centre, I am the only PhD, while 5 others
are undergoing training. By our roadmap, I would have trained 50 PhD
holders. We do not have adequate human capital for the project in
Nigeria; but we are working in collaboration with international
organizations whom we have discussed with and they are willing to be
involved in the launch. We are also working on micro satellite but,
because of its size, I don’t see the work completed in the next one
year. That has 15 staff on it. It is a replica of Nigeria-sat 1.

Two more bandwidths from ITU

We are already
talking of a number of communication satellites. Nigeria has not got
any communication satellite in space. We will manufacture and hand over
to any service providers like NIGCOMSAT that will market the
transponders. That was what took us to ITU last month to make sure we
are allocated the two communication satellites. We have been allocated
the bandwidth we require for two communication satellites that will be
launched in the next five years and I can tell you that has been done.
Ministry of communications, NCC, NIGCOMSAT, NASRDA were involved to
secure two additional slots for the next communication satellites. We
are also involved in satellite transport and propulsion. Our staff will
be trained on taking satellite to space.

We have a mission
that in 2018 we will be able to produce a made in Nigeria satellite and
by 2025 we will be able to launch a made in Nigeria satellite. Those
are the things we are working towards, but we need to have the Assembly
Integration and Testing centre in place. If that is not done, our quest
for a made in Nigeria satellite will just be a dream. It is the heart
of satellite technology. The building is ongoing, about 50 per cent
completed but the equipment is yet to be procured. Contract is yet to
be signed with the Chinese because the monetary approval is not in
place.