VIRGINIA – ZimSat-1, Zimbabwe’s first satellite, will launch into orbit at approximately 11.30 a.m. (CAT) on Sunday, completing a project that was started in 2018.
The launch of ZimSat-1 into orbit by the Northrop Grumman (NG-18 Cygnus) spacecraft is expected to have a number of positive effects for the country’s development efforts.
The spacecraft will launch from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport at the Wallops Flight Facility of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in Wallops Island, Virginia, in the United States.
Zimbabwe National Geospatial and Space Agency (ZINGSA) who have been working on the project in collaboration with a Japanese satellite company gave an update on the launch.
Commenting on the latest developments, ZINGSA coordinator, Painos Gweme said the actual deployment of ZimSat-1 into space will be through the Japanese KIBO module.
“It is going to be deployed in the KIBO module; it happens two or three weeks after it’s launch and we have scheduled it for November 21,” he said.
The satellite is expected to help Zimbabwe’s space exploration program in land, water and mineral mapping, including weather forecasting, infrastructure planning, border security and disaster prevention.
