President Mokgweetsi Masisi has announced that Botswana's BOT SAT-1 satellite, initially announced in December 2020, will launch into orbit in 2023.
Speaking during the 2022 State of the Nation Address (SONA) on Monday, President Masisi stated that the satellite, which is stationed in Palapye, has been developed in partnership with the Cape Town University of Science and Technology.
The satellite's ground communication station, which is a major component of the satellite program, has been completed and ready for commissioning. The ground station will communicate with other orbiting satellites before the launch of BOT SAT-1 in 2023.
According to President Masisi, the project will make Botswana one of the few African countries with an orbiting satellite. The satellite will be used for water resource management, industrial development, environmental management, land management and sustainable agriculture.
"The satellite, which will be used for earth observation, will generate data for smart farming and real-time virtual tourism. Furthermore, it will help us predict and forecast harvest time through the use of robotics and automated technology. It will also make it easy for our people to access key facilities, particularly financial support and accurate market outlook and projections using data generated from space," said President Masisi during the launch of the project in December 2020.
Two weeks ago, Zimbabwe also launched its ZIM SAT-1 satellite into space from Virginia in the United States of America.