Uganda and Zimbabwe launch first satellites into space

And we have lift off!

After a small delay caused by a fire alarm at Nasa’s control centre in the US, two satellites built by Zimbabwean and Ugandan engineers respectively, have been launched into space.

LIVE: #AskNASA experts your questions about @NorthropGrumman’s CRS-18 resupply mission to the @Space_Station set to launch Sunday.

It will carry experiments about plant mutations and mudflow structure, as well as satellites from Japan, Uganda & Zimbabwe. https://t.co/aBTcLTrWww

— NASA (@NASA) November 5, 2022

The S.S. Sally Ride, @NorthropGrumman's Cygnus cargo spacecraft lifted off from @NASA_Wallops in Virginia at 5:32am ET carrying 8,200 pounds of science and supplies to the space station. ???????? More details.. https://t.co/L5gkGgo6nY pic.twitter.com/1pJFAXIg65

— International Space Station (@Space_Station) November 7, 2022

Zimbabwe’s satellite, named ZimSat-1 was designed and assembled by three of the country’s scientists who were supported and trained in Japan.

Uganda’s satellite, the PearlAfricaSat-1 was also built by three of its own country’s aerospace engineers with the ambition that Uganda will set up its own command station to manage the satellite within the country.

Once in orbit, both satellites will collect images of the countries from space to help support research into weather forecasting, as well as monitoring border security and disaster prevention.