Di National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA) announce on Wednesday say dem don join bodi wit di Space Exploration and Research Agency for America (SERA) to start a project wey dem go take cary one pesin from Nigeria go space.
For one event for Abuja wia dem sign di memorandum of understanding, di Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Uche Nnaji tok say e don tey wey e dey hungry Nigeria as a kontri to send pesin go space for di first time.
“Our first human space flight bin dey scheduled for 2018, which mean to say we dey about six years behind schedule,” oga Nnaji tok.
Mathew Adepoju, di DG of NASRDA, also tok say as a kontri wit dipremium space agency in Africa, Nigeria suppose dey lead di way for space exploration make odas dey follow.
Di Development don already dey generate conversation among Nigerians for social media as pipo dey ask why e dey important for di kontri to send pesin go moon. Wetin go be di impact?
Global Space economy go worth pass €1 trillion by 2040
One 2023 report by di European Space Agency tok say di estimate of di global space economy stand between €350 billion and €450 billion, but di forecast be say e go pass €1 trillion before 2040.
Di report say wetin dey happun for di space economy now dey like wetin bin happun wit di internet for di early 2000s bifor e boom.
E mean say di race for who go dominate and reap di fruits of di global space economy don dey on, but so far e be like say Africa dey for back seat.
Felix Ale wey be di director of communications for NASRDA describe am as “a glorious moment” for Nigeria to be able to get im first astronaut.
“Evri tin across di globe dey revolve around space science and technology. E no get any tin wey you go talk aboput today wey no get space conotation,” Ale tok for one TV interview.
“Di best way to solve di problems wey dey confront humanity na from space… As we dey here dey talk, e dey transmit across di world, no forget say you dey make use of a satelite so pipo go fit watch you for America, Europe and all ova di world.
“Nigeria get plenty to benefit from space science and technology.”
Sam Hutchinson wey be di co-founder of SERA say di global space economy dey grow at a rate of 10% evri year, so now na opportunity for Nigeria to tap into it.
“Nigeria na kontri of entrepreneurs, scientists and engineers wey get technical expertise and understanding of how to run successful businesses, so we dey do dis to inspire a young generation make dem understand say if dem apply diasef, if dem get into science, technology, engineering and mathematics, dem go get opportunity to participate in di booming space technology and maybe go to space one day,” Hutchinson tok.
Selection process
According to SERA, na only three criteria pesin need to qualify to be selected as di first Nigerian to go to space: be human, dey ova 18 years, and get desire to go to space.
Di pesin no need to get experience for space science or even be scientist at all, anybody go fit apply and wen di shortlist come out, di Nigerian public go vote for di person wey go go.
Di partnership go involve six kontris wey SERA describe as “underrepresented nations in space explorations”, so one pesin each from di kontri go board di Blue Origin rocket wey go carry dem go space and back.
Participants go first undergo a three-day program for di Blue Origin facility for America, wey go focus on safety and wetin to do at any given time.
Dem go travel inside di New Shepherd rocket wey dey 100% autonomous , which mean to say e no need any pilot to control am.
Blue Origin na space technology company wey di owner na Jeff Bezos wey also get Amazon.
Dis project dey come at no extra cost to di Nigeria goment, according to NASRDA officials.
Brief history of space exploration for Nigeria
Mark Shuttleworth na one of di Africans to travel to space.
Im na South African, businessman and entrepreneur and e follow one Russian spacecraft – Soyuz TM-34 enta di orbit in April 2002. E spend eight days for dia.
However, African kontris, including Nigeria don dey send satelites to space since many years ago. In fact, Nigeria dey recognised as one of di fore runners in Africa in terms of space-related science and technology .
Nigeria launch im first satelite – NigeriaSat1 – into di orbit in 2003 and e don launch four more since den. Di latest satelite wey dem launch na di NigeriaSatX for August 2011.
In 2016, di minister for science and tech dat time, Ogbonnaya Onu, bin set anoda goal for Nigeria to send im first astronaut to Space by 2030.
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