THE National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA) has officially declared that Nigeria’s current satellite, Sat X, is inadequate for addressing the nation’s security challenges due to its low-resolution imaging capabilities.
Dr. Halilu Shaba, the Director General of NASRDA, disclosed this at the 7th annual lecture of the Nigerian Institution of Space Engineers expressed the need for higher resolution satellite technology to effectively combat insecurity in the country. ‘Nigeria Sat X is a remote sensing satellite with low resolution; we are thinking of high-resolution imagers that can pinpoint where problems are and solve them. You can pinpoint using 0.5 to 1-metre resolution, and we don’t have a space asset that is of that resolution,’ he said.
In response to the pressing security concerns, NASRDA is actively collaborating with relevant agencies and the presidency to acquire a high-resolution satellite capable of pinpointing security threats and providing advance knowledge of the movements of bandits and terrorists.
Shaba also stressed the necessity of acquiring a Synthetic Aperture Radar satellite capable of penetrating cloud cover and operating at night. He highlighted the critical role of security in national growth and its implications for food security and overall stability.
The theme of the lecture, Repositioning Nigeria’s Space Infrastructure as a Critical Dual-Use Asset for National Security: Government-Industry Imperatives, underlined the vital role of space-based communication systems, including satellites, in ensuring secure and real-time communication for military forces, government agencies, and emergency responders.
Shaba also enumerated the multiple benefits of space assets, which encompass weather forecasting, environmental monitoring, secure data transmission, and cybersecurity. He cited the Nigerian space asset’s pivotal role in disaster management, such as monitoring floods, oil spillage, forest fires, and facilitating post-disaster recovery efforts.
He recommended a strategic approach, emphasising the importance of planning, investment, space diplomacy, collaborative frameworks, international cooperation, risk management, and contingency planning to enhance the use of space assets for national security.
The satellite in question, NigeriaSat-X, was launched in August 2011 and is primarily an optical imaging satellite operated by NASRDA. Its original mission included disaster management, agriculture monitoring, and security applications, but its current limitations for security purposes have prompted the agency to pursue the acquisition of a high-resolution satellite to better address the nation’s security challenges.
