埃塞俄比亚期待更多卫星升空

2019年12月20日，埃塞俄比亚史上首颗遥感卫星发射升空。这是一颗多光谱遥感卫星，称为埃塞俄比亚遥感卫星一号，重72公斤，由埃塞俄比亚与中国空间技术研究院合作研发而成。其中，埃塞俄比亚的21名工程师在中国接受了培训，参与了卫星的设计与开发。

埃塞俄比亚遥感卫星一号在中国山西太原卫星发射中心发射升空。这颗卫星总费用约800万美元，其中中国政府支付了600万美元，运行轨道距离地表700公里，设计寿命两年。有了此次卫星发射的成功经验，埃塞俄比亚将跻身拥有并能够控制卫星的国家之列。

埃塞俄比亚为了庆祝史上第一颗卫星发射，国防部鸣礼炮21响，作为庆典的一个环节。德梅克·梅孔嫩副总理和恩托托太空观测站的高级官员与中方人员共同出席庆典，并通过电视向民众转播。

⬆2019年12月20日， 中巴地球资源卫星04A星在太原卫星发射中心成功发射。此次任务同时搭载了中国应对气候变化“南南合作”项目——赠埃塞俄比亚微小卫星以及“天琴一号”技术试验卫星等8颗卫星  (新华社 郑逃逃摄 )

埃塞俄比亚航天技术的发展与挑战

2004年，埃塞俄比亚航天科学学会经个人倡导成立。之后，他们建立了恩托托太空观测站。2016年，埃塞俄比亚空间科学技术研究所由政府主导成立。埃塞俄比亚遥感卫星一号升空是埃塞俄比亚航天技术发展的一次突破。除这颗遥感卫星外，埃塞俄比亚还计划发射用于电信和广播服务的通信卫星。

埃塞俄比亚航天技术的发展面临诸多挑战，比如人才不足，资金短缺，各类参与者合作有限（研究机构、大学和企业），科研设施薄弱，而且民众不理解拥有卫星带来的好处。

卫星的设计、制造和发射需要技术知识和充足资金。在中国政府和科学家的帮助下，埃塞俄比亚从中国获得了技术和资金，发射了第一颗卫星。这是中埃两国政府双边关系达到最高水平的具体表现。

但有些国家认为埃塞俄比亚贫穷、弱小，于是对其发射卫星的倡议略有嘲讽。例如，英国快报发表评论称，埃塞俄比亚一边开发太空项目，一边从英国纳税人那里要钱。

卫星在埃塞俄比亚的作用

航天技术对埃塞俄比亚和整个非洲来说并不是奢侈品，而是必需品。对埃塞俄比亚而言，拥有自己的卫星意味着每年节省数百万美元（之前要花这笔钱从其他国家购买卫星数据）。埃塞俄比亚人超过80%生活在农村，靠农业为生。气候变化会导致干旱、洪水和其他自然灾害，对农业产生负面影响。而这种遥感卫星则有助于埃塞俄比亚减轻意外自然灾害带来的影响。另外，这项技术还给各部门提供相关资料，协助保护自然资源，比如森林管理、作物监测和采矿。

卫星的制造和发射也是埃塞俄比亚从中国获得转让技术的契机。这些知识和技能将使埃塞俄比亚的工程师有能力设计和开发本国卫星，并自行发射。

埃塞俄比亚卫星的成功发射也会鼓励一些邻国发展航天技术。众所周知，东非的经济、社会和安全局势都不稳定，恐怖主义和海盗十分猖獗，内部冲突常年不断。具有高分辨率的遥感卫星可以很容易地定位这些暴力反叛组织，从而帮助各国政府控制这些极端暴力行为。

简而言之，埃塞俄比亚航天技术的发展带来了很多机会，比如为高校毕业生创造就业机会，从发达国家进行技术转让，发展环境政策，鼓励高等研究机构和院校进行研究、学习和创新，减轻气候变化的影响，增强民族自豪感，改善自然资源的管理和保护，促进经济和社会发展。

非盟制定航天发展规划

非洲大约十几个国家有自己的卫星，包括埃及、阿尔及利亚、尼日利亚、肯尼亚、南非、卢旺达、安哥拉、加纳、摩洛哥和苏丹等。但是，他们都没有自己的卫星发射平台。因此，到目前为止，没有一颗卫星是从非洲本土发射的。

埃塞俄比亚航天计划与非盟“科学、技术和创新观测站”的章程相一致。2016年1月30日，非盟大会通过了该章程，并将总部设在赤道几内亚共和国，其目标是作为“非洲科学、技术和创新数据和统计的大陆存储库，以及政策分析的来源，以便于非洲基于证据进行决策”。2018年1月29日，根据《非盟章程》，非盟大会通过了《非洲航天局章程》。

即使一些发达国家认为，非洲国家应优先将其有限的资金用于航天技术以外的项目，非盟仍通过了一项关于非洲航天发展的决策，并强调“空间科学和技术可以促进非洲大陆的经济发展和自然资源管理”。

埃中合作

埃塞俄比亚政府领导人承诺进一步发展该国航天技术。埃塞俄比亚政府对卫星制造和后续行动有深远考虑。2019年10月，国家议会举行年度会议时，萨赫勒-沃克总统在开幕词中披露了同年12月发射卫星的计划。

2019年4月25日至27日，埃塞俄比亚总理阿比·艾哈迈德博士在中国参加第二届“一带一路”国际合作高峰论坛期间，也参观了中国的卫星制造企业。埃塞俄比亚国家航天委员会由总理负责。

中国的支持是埃塞俄比亚航天技术发展的又一重大机遇。中国通过各种多边和双边机制支持非洲各国发展。中埃双边关系达到了全面战略合作伙伴关系水平。埃塞俄比亚还得益于中国的投资和金融支援，中国是埃塞俄比亚和非洲最大的贸易伙伴。中国为埃塞俄比亚第一颗人造卫星的制造提供了资金和技术支持。

埃塞俄比亚制定了发展航天技术的法律框架。埃塞俄比亚航天委员会和埃塞俄比亚空间科学技术研究所是根据部长理事会第2016-393号条例成立的。这些法律和机构的存在是发展航天技术的基础。埃塞俄比亚有许多大学教授工程学和计算机科学，这些领域的毕业生是国家扩展卫星技术的好机会。

卫星技术对埃塞俄比亚和许多非洲国家来说都是一个全新的发展领域。中国的技术和资金支持正在帮助许多国家拥有自己的卫星，这体现了中国帮助非洲国家发展科技的承诺。

英文版

Ethiopia Expects to Launch More Satellites

By Melaku Mulualem k.  Senior Researcher in the Ethiopian Foreign Relations strategic Studies Institute

Ethiopia
has launched its first-ever remote sensing satellite into space on 20
December 2019. The 72kg satellite of Ethiopia was developed in
collaboration with the Chinese Academy of Space Technology. Twenty one
Ethiopian engineers got training in China and involved in the design and
development of the satellite. This Multi-Spectral Remote Sensing
Satellite is named Ethiopia Remote Sensing Satellite-1 (ETRSS-1).

ETRSS-1
has been launched from the Taiywan Satellite Launch Center in north
China’s Shanxi Province. The satellite totally costs about eight million
dollars, and of which six million dollars was covered by the government
of China. The satellite has a life span of two years. With this
successful satellite launch Ethiopia could join the 70 countries in the
world that operate satellites from space.

ETRSS-1 is
operating from 700 Kms above the surface of the Earth. As part of
ceremony, the Ministry of Defense of Ethiopia fired 21gun salutes as the
nation launched the first satellite in its history. Together with the
Chinese, the event was attended by Deputy Prime Minister Demeke Mekonnen
and other senior officials of Ethiopia from Entoto Space Observatory
and also televised to the general people.

Development of Space Technology and Challenges in Ethiopia

The
Ethiopian Space Science Society was established by the initiatives of
private individuals in 2004. Subsequently they have established Entoto
Space observatory center. The Ethiopian Space Science and

Technology
Institute was established by the government in 2016. ETRSS-1 is a break
through to Ethiopia’s footsteps in space technology and comprehensive
development. In addition to this remote sensing satellite

Ethiopia has also a plan to launch communication satellite for telecommunication and broadcasting services.

Space
technology development in Ethiopia faces a lot of challenges including
shortage of qualified human power, shortage of finance to such big
project, limited or weak collaborations among various stakeholders
(research institutes, universities and industries), lack of adequate
research facilities, lack of knowledge about the benefit of satellites
by the general people and the like.

Designing, constructing and
launching a satellite need technical knowledge and ample finances.
Thanks to the government and scientists of China, Ethiopia could launch
its first satellite by getting both the skill and finance from China.
This is a clear indication of the highest level of bilateral relations
between the two governments.

The other challenge is the
perception towards Ethiopia as a poor and weak country and undermines
its initiatives of launching a satellite. For instance, the British
Express media has posted its comment saying Ethiopia is developing a
space programme “while receiving support from UK tax payers”.

Advantages of the Satellite

Space
technology is not a luxury to Ethiopia and Africa at large. For
Ethiopia, having one’s own satellite means saving multi million dollars
that she is spending to purchase satellite data from other countries.
More than 80% of Ethiopians are living in rural areas and getting their
livelihood from the agriculture sector. Climate change can have negative
impact on the agriculture that can cause draught, flood and other
natural calamities.

Such remote sensing satellite helps Ethiopia
to mitigate unexpected natural disasters. This technology also assists
various sectors with pertinent information in conserving natural
resources of the country including forestry management, crop monitoring
and mining.

The construction and launching of the satellite
has also given a chance to transfer technology from China to Ethiopia.
Such knowledge and skill will make Ethiopian engineers to design and
develop their own satellites and launch by themselves.

The
successful launch of the satellite of Ethiopia can also encourage some
other neighboring countries to work on space technology. East Africa is
known for its volatile situations in economic, social and security
concerns. Terrorism, piracy, intra conflicts are rampant in the region.
Remote sensing satellites which have high resolutions can also help
governments in controlling such violent extremisms in specific areas.
Such satellites can easily identify locations of violent rebel groups
who are against the life of the general people.

In a nut shell,
development of space technology in Ethiopia provides a lot of advantages
including job creations to university graduates, technology transfer
from developed nations, environmental policy developments, encourage
research, studies and innovations in higher institutions and
universities, mitigate the impact of climate changes, boost national
pride, improve management and conservation of natural resources, enhance
economic and social developments.

Africa and Satellite Technology

About
a dozen of African countries have their own satellites on space
including Egypt, Algeria, Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa, Rwanda, Angola,
Ghana, Morocco and Sudan. However, all African countries do not have
their own satellite launching pad. Thus none of the satellites was
launched from the African soil.

The space programme of
Ethiopia is in line with the African Union’s statute on ‘Observatory in
Science, Technology and Innovation’. The statute was adopted by the
Assembly of the African Union on 30 January 2016 that made the Republic
of Equatorial Guinea to be its Headquarters. Its objectives include
serving as “the continental repository for STI [Science, Technology and
Innovation] data and statistics and a source of policy analysis in
support of evidence based policy-making in Africa”. Based on this
Statute of the African Union “Statute of the African Space Agency” was
adopted on 29January 2018 by the Assembly of the African Union.

Even
if some developed countries argue that African countries should use
their limited finance for other priorities than space technology, the
African Union has adopted a policy on African Space Development and
underlined that “Space Science and technology could advance economic
progress and natural resource management on the continent”.

Opportunities

Commitment
of the leadership of the Ethiopian government is a great opportunity to
strengthen space technology in the country. The construction of the
satellite had been given great considerations and follow-ups by the
government of Ethiopia. When the national parliament started its yearly
functions in October 2019, in her opening speech President Sahlework
Zewde had disclosed the plan of the government to launch satellite in
December of the same year.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed(PhD) who
aspires to technological development in Ethiopia also visited the
satellite construction while he had been in China to attend the Second
Belt and Road Forum for the International Cooperation that was held from
April 25-27, 2019. The National Space Council is chaired by the Prime
Minister.

Support from China is another great opportunity to
Ethiopia’s space technology development. China is supporting African
countries through various multilateral and bilateral frameworks
including the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation, South-South
Cooperation, Belt and Road Initiative, Shared Future and the like.

Bilaterally
Ethiopia and China have reached to the level of Comprehensive Strategic
and Cooperation Partnership. Ethiopia is also benefiting from
investment and financial support of China, which is also the highest
trading partner of Ethiopia and Africa at large. China has provided fund
and technical support for the construction of the first satellite.

Ethiopia
has some legal frameworks for the development of space technology.The
Ethiopian Space Council and Ethiopian Space Science and Technology
Institute was established by the Council of Ministers Regulations number
393/2016. The presence of such laws and institutions are step stones
for the development of space technology. In Ethiopia there are many
universities which are teaching engineering and computer sciences. The
presences of many graduates in these fields are good opportunity to the
expansion of satellite technology in the country.

Satellite
technology is new development to Ethiopia and many African countries at
large. Technical and financial support of China is making countries
owner of satellites. This shows the commitment of the government of
China to make African countries develop in science and technology.