After three failed attempts, Kenya’s first functional 3U observational satellite, Taifa-1, was successfully launched into orbit on Saturday from the Vandenberg Base in California.
The launch was carried out by Elon Musk’s Space X company using a Falcon-9 rocket, which also deployed 50 other space crafts.
Originally scheduled for April 11, the launch was delayed twice due to unfavorable weather conditions.
The launch was postponed again on Friday, but on Saturday, April 15, at 9:44 am, it finally went ahead.
The satellite was constructed by a team of nine Kenya Space Agency (KSA) engineers in partnership with Endurosat AD, a Bulgarian aerospace manufacturer that supplied the satellite’s body components, at a cost of Ksh.50 million.