STORY: Ethiopia launches innovative satellite data service in partnership with China, official says
SHOOTING TIME: March 1, 2024
DATELINE: March 7, 2024
LENGTH: 00:01:46
LOCATION: Addis Ababa
CATEGORY: SCIENCE/TECHNOLOGY

SHOTLIST:
1. various of the Ethiopian Space Science and Geospatial Institute (SSGI)
2. various of Interview with Melaku Muka, director of satellite operations at the SSGI
3. SOUNDBITE 1 (English): MELAKU MUKA, Director of Satellite Operations at the SSGI
4. various of city views of Addis Ababa, capital of Ethiopia
5. SOUNDBITE 2 (English): MELAKU MUKA, Director of Satellite Operations at the SSGI

STORYLINE:

The Ethiopian Space Science and Geospatial Institute (SSGI) has launched a "Ground Station as a Service" initiative, involving the reception of satellite data for different countries, organizations and users, an official has said.

Melaku Muka, director of satellite operations at the SSGI, said the institute has begun generating revenue through receiving satellite data, processing and analyzing them for various organizations and countries on a payment basis. The Chinese-built ground station at the Entoto Observatory and Space Science Research Center in the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa is at the core of this initiative, capable of receiving high-quality satellite data.

SOUNDBITE 1 (English): MELAKU Muka, Director of Satellite Operations at the SSGI
"Ethiopian Space Science and Geospatial Institute is open for cooperation in ground station as a service, which is provision of the full-fledged ground station services to clients, including satellite communication, data reception, data processing and up-linking to the cloud service."

The launch of the initiative signifies Ethiopia's strides to join the global satellite data market and helps the East African country earn revenue from the sector.

The payment modality for the service is arranged based on the amount of time spent per pass or minute used by the data reception station. According to the director, organizations that do not have ground stations due to limited budgets, satellite operators that require frequent communication and reception of data, and research institutions are taking advantage of the institute's "Ground Station as a Service" arrangement.

"Instead of building their own ground stations, users can access cost-effective data center services by paying only for the time slots they utilize," the director said, indicating that the arrangement allows entities to access global satellite data without incurring high costs.

In December 2019, Ethiopia launched its first-ever satellite, abbreviated as ETRSS-1, into space from China. The command and control center is located on the 3,200-meter-high hill of Entoto, a mountainous area on the outskirts of Addis Ababa.

SOUNDBITE 2 (English): MELAKU Muka, Director of Satellite Operations at the SSGI
"The cooperation between China and Ethiopia has shown significant growth. One remarkable milestone is the launch of Ethiopia's first observation satellite called ETRSS-1 in December 2019. Following this, Ethiopian Space Science and Geospatial Institute worked with Chinese client to build a 7.3-meter ground receiving station at Entoto in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia."

Appreciating the successful capacity building, technology, and knowledge transfer from Chinese space science experts, Muka said Ethiopian professionals are now able to independently manage the entire satellite operations and provide valuable data for end-users.

"The Chinese help was very profound, particularly when Ethiopia launched its first satellite into space from China," the director said.

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Addis Ababa.
(XHTV)