The grounded goals of Africa's space age
The continent is enjoying a boom in space activity, putting it to a wide range of earthly uses - including fighting Boko Haram
Across Africa‚ countries are increasingly turning to the skies to solve problems on the ground. "Africa has experienced something of a boom in space activity over the last few years, with several countries establishing national space agencies‚" said Peter Martinez‚ a professor of space studies at the University of Cape Town. A number of countries have declared their growing space ambitions with projects in recent years. In January‚ Ethiopia announced plans to launch a satellite in three to five years to better predict weather conditions. In 2013‚ the Kenyan government reported it had found two aquifers that could supply the country with water for 70 years via satellite. Nigeria aims to put an astronaut in space by 2030 and has used satellites to assist in locating Boko Haram insurgents. "The space programmes are largely about satellite technology and not sending humans into orbit‚" he wrote in an e-mail. "It is important to clarify this because … it makes it look like Africans are w...
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