‘FUTA’s Edusat-1 will promote satellite technology and space careers among children, youths’

The Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA) recently announced its presence in the space technology by emerging as the first university in Nigeria to build and launch a satellite into space. The historic launch took place at the Kennedy Space Centre, Florida, United States. In this online interview from Japan, Mr Ibukun Adebolu, one of the members of the FUTA team that achieved the feat, discusses with LAOLU HAROLDS the mission, cost and benefits of the project.

 

FUTA recently made history as the first Nigerian university to launch a satellite into space. Can you fill us in on the approximate time of the launch and how it went?

On Saturday June 3, 2017, 10.07 pm GMT+1 NigeriaEduSat-1, along with four other satellites of the BIRDS constellation were launched to the International Space Station (ISS) as part of cargo on a Space X dragon spacecraft on its 11th Commercial Resupply Services (CRS-11) mission. NigeriaEduSat-1 is Nigeria’s first nanosatellite and developed by FUTA, with the help of the National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA), and is expected to be fully operational by the end of July, 2017.

 

It’s gratifying that, at last, a university of technology in Nigeria is beginning to live up to that name. How do you feel being part of the team that made this happen?

FUTA has taken a step in the right direction. I believe more can be done, and other institutions should follow suit. Who wouldn’t be happy who worked on a satellite flying in space? I am happy.

 

How was this project conceptualized? Whose idea was it, and why was a satellite deemed a priority by the university and your team at this time?

I got to know about the project through FUTA’s Center for Space Research and Applications (CESRA) in 2015. I believe FUTA, through CESRA, developed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Japan’s Kyushu Institute of Technology with the help of Mr Tejumola Taiwo, who was at the time a Master’s (degree) student in Japan and now the BIRDS project manager.

Focusing on developing space capabilities is a step in the right direction at this age. Everything around us – satellite television, navigation and positioning, remote sensing etc – is powered by space technologies. Space also has a spinoff effect in the development of local industries.

 

Five countries had their CubeSats launched into space on SpaceX Falcon9 Rocket. Apart from Japan, whose Kyushu Institute of Technology worked with FUTA, did you work with the other nations too, or was it just a matter of convenience or coincidence that they are also doing this same project at this same time?

It’s not a coincidence. The BIRDS project is a constellation of five identical nanosatellites. A constellation is a group of satellites that perform similar missions in a coordinated manner, utilizing the advantage of several satellites to obtain extended and continuous coverage. The five satellites of the BIRDS constellation belong to Japan, Ghana, Mongolia, Nigeria and Bangladesh – participating countries in the BIRDS 1 Project. The aim of the BIRDS project is to promote satellite development technology transfer to non-space faring nations through hands-on projects. Bhutan, Malaysia and Philippines are participating in the second phase (BIRDS 2 Project), and there are plans underway to commence a third phase (BIRDS 3 Project) in October, 2017. A total of 15 students, including me, worked on developing the satellites. Since the five satellites are identical, it will be correct to say I worked on all five.

 

We understand the satellite was designed and built 100 percent by FUTA. How long have you been on the project?

I joined the project when it kicked off in October, 2015. Two other Nigerians, staff of NASRDA, also worked on the project from the beginning.

 

How much of the materials used was sourced locally or otherwise?

On this phase of the project, no material was sourced locally. I believe NASRDA has plans to continue to partner with FUTA and other Nigerian institutions to develop a made-in-Nigeria satellite in the near future.

 

Do you want to give us an idea how much the project has gulped, and how it was sourced, especially now that federal institutions are groaning from lack of funds?

Development costs and launch costs are about 100,000 US dollars. I believe a substantial part of this money was provided by the National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA) as part of its oversight and supervisory functions in the promotion of local capabilities for space development. There may be other costs incurred, but I do not have information about that at this moment.

 

Can you give us an idea of the size/span/weight etc of the satellite?

NigeriaEduSat-1 is a nano-satellite of the 1U form factor. It has an approximate weight of 1.1 kg and dimensions 100 mm (L) x 100 mm (W) x 113.5 mm (H).

 

What exactly is NigeriaEdusat-1 supposed to do up there, and what, in specific terms, will be the benefits to FUTA, and Nigeria as a country?

NigeriaEduSat-1, along with the four other nanosatellites of the BIRDS constellation will perform three onboard missions. First, we aim to take low and high resolution pictures of each home country of the participating members of the constellation. Each satellite is equipped with a 0.3 megapixel camera as well as a 5 mega pixel camera. We hope to capture distinct features of each target country, including borderline images, major rivers etc. The second mission on board each satellite is aimed at space education and outreach. Popular songs and poems are converted into digital format and uplinked to the satellite. The satellite stores the uplink file, reassembles it through an onboard digi-singer synthesizer and retransmits the file as an audio file that can be received on ground by amateur radio operators. This mission is aimed at promoting interest in satellite technology and space careers among children and youths, who can participate by coding the songs to be re-transmitted during major outreach events. The third onboard mission has a scientific nature. It involves the measurement of atmospheric density in the region 400 km above earth. This mission is important because it utilizes the advantage of multiple satellites collecting data simultaneously at different points in the region, enhancing the body of scientific literature already available. The effects of atmospheric drag on the satellite is computed and used to determine the density at points of interest in the region and also used in further calculations to determine each satellite position in orbit without using a GPS. Apart from the three on-orbit missions, there are also three ground based missions.