Page 65 - SAMENA Trends - February 2022

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EnduroSat and SayariLabs Partner to Launch Kenya’s First Software-Defined

Nanosat

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 reserved for the wealthy and mighty. Founder & CEO EnduroSat, added: “I am
another milestone in the successful SayariLabs is on a mission of democratising really proud to have the opportunity to
partnership and upcoming joint space these industries for all interested players in support SayariLabs in their efforts to bring
projects between the two companies. the African region and in making Kenya a space closer to thousands of people in
EnduroSat organised two-week space giant in the next generation. With the Kenya. Working alongside their team has
educational training, dedicated to space advancement of technology, this fantasy is been an amazing experience for us and I
systems and engineering, covering all quickly becoming a reality. Our partnership cannot wait to see the innovations and
aspects of mission analysis, design, and with EnduroSat, a leading company in the positive impact that they plan to have,
spacecraft assembly for the engineering this industry, is a major game-changer realized in practice. EnduroSat has been
team of SayariLabs. Commenting on the and it strengthens our hope and belief of for a long time a true believer in open,
partnership, Aaron Nzau, Founder & CEO being a major space and satellite solution responsible and accessible space and this
SayariLabs, said: “Over the past decades, provider in Kenya, the African region and is yet another step in this direction.”
space and satellite industries have been other parts of the world.” Raycho Raychev,

OneWeb Founder Plans Satellite IoT with US$50 Million Backing

A venture capital investor has pumped world’s first federated systems that can span from agriculture to transport. Anton
US$50 million into a space start-up dynamically extend satellite capacity for Brevde, partner at Prime Movers Lab, said:
founded by Greg Wyler, previously of O3b a multitude of applications, ranging from “Greg is an icon of space innovation with
and OneWeb. E-Space says it is planning secure communications to managing an unparalleled track record of pushing
a constellation of 100,000 satellites, remote infrastructure”. Wyler was one the industry forward by turning bold ideas
which will also gather up space junk of the founders of O3b Networks – the into everyday reality.” The $50 million
on their way. Wyler said: “We’ve built abbreviation stands for “other three billion” investment fully funds E-Space’s “beta 1”
sustainability into everything we do. We – when its backers included Google and launch of its first test satellites in March
are designing our systems to not only Liberty Global, as well as Luxembourg- 2022 as well as its second “beta 2” launch
prevent space debris generation, but to based SES, which ended up in 100% control. later this year, said E-Space. “Mass
eventually actively reduce space debris Later he was one of the brains behind production is slated for 2023.” Wyler said:
so generations to come will be able to OneWeb, at first called WorldVu Satellites. “One of the best ways to understand and
access the power of space.” E-Space says But that went bankrupt in 2020 and was manage Earth is from space. We designed
it will be “a foundational platform to help rescued by India’s Bharti group and the E-Space to democratize space, to enable
governments and large companies build UK government, with many of the initial the collection of continuous data about
space-based applications in a capital- investors – such as Qualcomm and Virgin our planet with real-time information of
light manner” – a description that seems Group – losing their money. The backer of sensors and devices across the world to
to indicate a satellite-based internet Wyler’s E-Space is Prime Movers Lab, a combat climate change, and to upgrade
of things (IoT). It aims to “provide the Wyoming-based investor whose interests our electric grids.”

65 FEBRUARY 2022