The first satellite developed in Ghana, Ghanasat-1, has been successfully deployed into orbit from the International Space Station (ISS).

The deployment follows the launch of the 1,000gm cubesat onboard a SpaceX rocket from the Kennedy Space Centre in the US last month. 

Ghanasat-1 was developed by a group of students at All Nations University College (ANUC) in Koforidua, Ghana. The satellite will be controlled from ANUC's on-campus ground station.

“It has opened the door for us to do a lot of activities from space."

Its low and high-resolution cameras will be used to monitor the coastal regions of Ghana, as well as improve the country’s capacity in the field of space science and technology.

Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s (JAXA) Tsukuba Space Centre will monitor the progress of Ghanasat-1 with the help of a team led by Ghana’s Japanese ambassador Sylvester Parker Allotey.

Ghanasat-1 project coordinator Dr Richard Damoah was quoted by BBC as saying: “It has opened the door for us to do a lot of activities from space.

“It would also help us train the upcoming generation on how to apply satellites in different activities around our region."

In a separate development, it was announced that Bangladesh’s first nanosatellite has been launched into space.

The 1kg BRAC Onnesha nanosatellite was developed by three students in BRAC University, Dhaka, Bangladesh, reported Daily Star.