Discovery
Ethiopia launches 1st satellite:
Ethiopia’s first-ever satellite has been launched into space by China.
The earth observatory satellite is designed to help the East African nation gather data for agricultural, mining and environmental protection.
“Ethiopia has joined the effort to seek knowledge and information from space,” Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, said in a congratulatory message to Ethiopians.
He said that Ethiopia will send up more satellites in collaboration with other countries, without giving details.
“This is a day we became one of the 70 countries in the world that operate a satellite from space,” said Ahmedin Mohammed, an official with Ethiopia’s Innovation and Technology Ministry. “The next step is to launch a communication satellite and also set up a space materials assembly and manufacturing facility here in Ethiopia.”
Ethiopian space officials stated both Ethiopian and Chinese engineers took part in the construction of the 72 kilogram (159 pound) satellite that took three years.
The total cost of the satellite was $8 million, of which $6 million was covered by China, said Ethiopian officials. Ethiopia hopes to save up to $11 million a year by using their own satellite data.
The satellite was sent into space from Shanxi Province in China. Ethiopian and Chinese officials monitored the launch from a command and control center set up in the outskirts of the capital Addis Ababa. They watched a video stream from China.
Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed is credited with starting the satellite pro
gram three years ago while he was Minister for Technology. (AP)
Thunberg at Swedish parliament:
Teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg is back where her campaign started — on her perch outside the Swedish Parliament.
After months of travelling by train and boat to different climate events in Europe and the United States, the 16-year-old Swede is raising her concerns back home, just as she did over a year ago when she
skipped school to begin her climate protest, a stance that proved an inspiration to kids around the world.
Thunberg, who last week was named Person of the Year by Time magazine, posted a photo of herself on social media Friday holding a sign with the accompanying text of “School strike week 70. Stockholm!”
Thunberg told Swedish news agency TT that she hoped to encourage more climate activists beyond those she has already inspired. (AP)