Launch of Kenya's First Satellite in California Deferred Again

The highly-anticipated launch of the Taifa-1 Sat, a satellite developed by Kenyan engineers, has been delayed once again due to unfavorable atmospheric conditions in the upper atmosphere.

Space Regulation, Exploration and Utilization Acting Director Col Andrew Nyawade on Wednesday said the launch has been postponed to Thursday at 9:47 am East African Time.

"Yesterday it did not happen because there were strong winds in the upper atmosphere and caused the launch to be delayed," Nyawade said.

"Usually as the rocket ascends into space the wind conditions affect the stability of the rocket and to ensure that we have a successful launch we limit that risk by delaying the launch," he added.

The satellite, which was built at a cost of Sh50 million, was initially set to be launched on Tuesday in Vandenberg Base, California aboard Falcon-9 Rocket owned by Space Exploration Technologies Corporation (SpaceX).

On Tuesday, the Kenya Space Agency (KSA) announced the launch had been delayed for 24 hours to Wednesday due “unfavorable upper-level wind conditions” that would “affect the rocket’s flight trajectory”.

 “There is also the risk of the rocket falling back and causing death in case it lands in an area that is highly populated,” said Kenya Space Agency Engineer Pattern Odhiambo.

The main mission of the satellite is to provide data for use in agriculture, food security, land management, and environmental monitoring.

Taifa-1 was designed and built by a team of nine KSA engineers, including mechanical, aeronautical, space, and electronic engineers.

The team worked in collaboration with Endurosat AD, a Bulgarian aerospace manufacturer that supplied the parts of the satellite body.