KENYA: the Taifa-1 satellite aims to save the mountain bongo from extinction

This is one of the first operational missions assigned to Kenya's very first 100% earth observation satellite. Over the next five years, the satellite images and meteorological data provided by Taifa-1 will help to protect the mountain bongo, a species of antelope threatened with extinction.

The Kenya Space Agency (KSA) and the Mount Kenya Nature Reserve (MKWC) signed a partnership agreement on 5 December 2023 in the capital, Nairobi, to save the mountain bongo from extinction through the use of geospatial technologies. The five-year partnership will make use of satellite images and meteorological data provided by Taifa-1, Kenya’s first satellite.

Thanks to data from Taifa-1, it will now be possible to track the movements of mountain bongos, providing invaluable information for ensuring their safety and promoting their development in the country’s mountainous regions. This cutting-edge technology will also make it possible to obtain precise meteorological data, providing essential information for monitoring the environmental conditions affecting the bongo population and their natural habitat.

The mountain bongo, whose scientific name is Tragelaphus eurycerus isaaci, is a critically endangered species. This animal now lives in only a few regions of Kenya, including the Aberdare Mountains, Mount Kenya and the Mau Forest in the Great Rift Valley. Their population is now estimated at just a hundred individuals.

The Taifa-1 satellite

Taifa-1 is not the first mission of its kind. In July 2023, a collaboration was established between the Kenyan Space Agency and the American NGO Tomorrow Now, with the aim of using space data to better anticipate climate crises such as droughts and floods.

Taifa-1, which means Nation-1 in Swahili, is the very first earth observation satellite, designed entirely by Kenyan engineers. Equipped with optical sensors capable of taking photos simultaneously in several frequency ranges, within and beyond the visible light spectrum, the satellite was launched into orbit on 15 April 2023 from a US base in California. With this operation, Kenya joins the fifteen or so African countries that have embarked on the conquest of space.

Cover photo: By Afrik21