Kenyan space company SayariLabs and EnduroSat have signed a commercial agreement to launch Kenya’s first 3U software-defined nanosat called Taifa-1 (‘one nation’ from Swahili).
Taifa-1 will be launched by SpaceX’s Falcon 9 in Q4 2022.
In the past decade, East Africa has been hit with heavy droughts and wildfires, causing water crises, and damages of local agriculture and food supplies. TAIFA-1 will be loaded with a hyperspectral, Earth-observation camera that will help customers with environmental, wildlife, agricultural monitoring, and land use mapping, in their mission of preventing calamities in the region.
EnduroSat and SayariLabs signed an MOU, which marks another milestone in the successful partnership and upcoming joint space projects between the two companies. EnduroSat organised two-week educational training, dedicated to space systems and engineering, covering all aspects of mission analysis, design, and spacecraft assembly for the engineering team of SayariLabs.
Commenting on the partnership, Aaron Nzau, Founder & CEO SayariLabs, said: “Over the past decades, space and satellite industries have been reserved for the wealthy and mighty. SayariLabs is on a mission of democratising these industries for all interested players in the African region and in making Kenya a space giant in the next generation. With the advancement of technology, this fantasy is quickly becoming a reality. Our partnership with EnduroSat, a leading company in this industry, is a major game-changer and it strengthens our hope and belief of being a major space and satellite solution provider in Kenya, the African region and other parts of the world.”
Raycho Raychev, Founder & CEO EnduroSat, added: “I am really proud to have the opportunity to support SayariLabs in their efforts to bring space closer to thousands of people in Kenya. Working alongside their team has been an amazing experience for us and I cannot wait to see the innovations and the positive impact that they plan to have, realised in practice. EnduroSat has been for a long time a true believer in open, responsible and accessible space and this is yet another step in this direction.”