The Director-General of the National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA), Dr Halilu Shaba, has said that the agency’s plan to launch a satellite from Nigeria in 2025 is no longer feasible.
Shaba said this at the NASRDA Day presentation at the ongoing 8th Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) Expo, with the theme “STI: Solutions to National Economic Challenges’’ in Abuja.
According to him, while launching of satellite is capital intensive, the agency is not financially ready, but it is developing the needed capacity.
What the DG said
Presenting a paper titled ‘New Space: Aligning with the Renewed Hope Agenda’ the NASRDA DG said:
- “Presently, we don’t have the window to send an astronaut to space, because it is very expensive, it is when we have the slot and make plans within five years that we can launch an astronaut.
- “We cannot advise the government to train an astronaut now when we don’t have the slot, the person may probably get older and not fit for space by the time we get a slot.
- “For the launch of a satellite, you don’t design a big satellite in one year, it takes up to two years.
- “We have all the manpower, but the resources are not here yet, and I doubt if we can achieve that even in 2027.’’
