Zimbabwe launches second satellite, ZIMSAT-2

Zimbabwe says it has made a significant stride in its space programme with the successful launch of its second satellite, ZIMSAT-2, on Tuesday.

The satellite, a collaborative effort between the Zimbabwe National Geo-Spatial and Space Agency (ZINGSA) and Southwest State University in Russia, was launched on a Soyuz 2.1b/Fregat-M rocket from the Vostochny Cosmodrome in Uglegorsk, Amur Oblast, eastern Russia.

ZINGSA says ZIMSAT-2 is equipped with a high-resolution multispectral camera designed to support various applications, including agriculture, resource exploration, and environmental monitoring.

Speaking at the launch, Dr. Painos Gweme, the Coordinator of the Zimbabwe National Geospatial and Space Agency (ZINGSA), said by “providing valuable data and insights, ZIMSAT-2 will contribute to Zimbabwe's economic development, particularly in the agriculture and mining sectors."

International collaboration

The project is the result of a collaborative research effort between the Zimbabwe National Geo-Spatial and Space Agency (ZINGSA) and Southwest State University (SWSU) in Kursk, Russia.

Zimbabwean engineers and students on the Presidential Scholarship Program participated in the satellite's development, guiding it from the mission design phase to the final flight model, authorities said.

Zimbabwe says the satellite's primary mission is to monitor crop health by using its advanced imaging technology to identify nutrient deficiencies, predict yields, and classify vegetation types.

The data will be processed to calculate the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), a key metric in remote sensing that indicates vegetation health.

Authorities added that ZimSat-2 will play an instrumental role in geological research as the data collected will help identify and classify mineral-rich regions, supporting exploration efforts for valuable resources.

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