Ethiopia launches first satellite into space

Ethiopia has launched its first satellite into space to monitor climate change and improve research in agriculture and drought preparedness.

The satellite, named ETRSS-1, was launched from China on Friday.

Government officials, led by Deputy Prime Minister Demeke Mekonnen and former Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn, witnessed the launch from the Entoto Space Observatory in the capital, Addis Ababa.

Ethiopia plans to launch a broadcast satellite into space in the next three years.

On the question of how much this cost, Temidayo Isaiah Oniosun, from the website Space in Africa, said that satellites had plummeted in price recently.

He said that "the project cost about 8 million dollars with 6 million dollars coming from the Chinese government while the remaining funds from the Ethiopian government. "

In terms of it's developmental advantage, he revealed that the satellite "can actually support in agricultural planning, early warning system, forestry management even urban development. It's a very small satellite so the application is very limited but yes it can actually be used in all of these application areas."