GhanaSat-1

Ghana through All Nations University is a private university in Ghana to build the first Ghana satellite named Ghanasat-1. The Ghanasat-1 was developed by three engineers namely Benjamin Bonsu, Ernest Matey, Joseph Quansah. The Ghana Team led by Benjamin Bonsu joined the Joint Global Multi-Nation Birds satellite program, supported by Kyushu Institute of Technology (KIT) of Japan, which is a cross-border interdisciplinary satellite project for non-spacefaring countries. The Birds-1 Project included four guest countries: Ghana, Mongolia, Nigeria, and Bangladesh. GhanaSat-1 is the first Ghanaian's first satellite launched into orbit, entirely funded by the All Nations University. This big achievement makes All Nations University, Africa's first private university to launch a satellite into orbit. == Design and development ==

GhanaSat-1 was assembled and tested by three students namely Benjamin Bonsu, Ernest Matey and Joseph Quansah at All Nations University. The two-year period spanning the development, construction, launch and operation of the satellites engaged three university students from each of the five participating countries. The satellite cost about US$500,000 to manufacture and launch. Power was generated from solar cells and stored in batteries. The satellite carried low- and high-resolution cameras that took pictures of Ghana and monitored the country's coastline. The satellite had the ability to receive requested songs from the ground and transmit them from space; the national anthem of Ghana was one of the songs broadcast in orbit. Finally, the satellite measured the effects of radiation in space on commercial microprocessors. GhanaSat-1 was given to the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) on 9 February 2017, and was then transferred to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) on 12 February 2017. The GhanaSat-1 Birds designation is Bird GG. == Mission ==

Launch SpaceX launched the satellite on its CRS-11 mission to the International Space Station on 3 June 2017. The satellite was carried in a Dragon spacecraft on a Falcon 9 rocket, launched from NASA's Kennedy Space Center, LC-39A. This was the 100th launch from LC-39A and the first time SpaceX reused one of its Dragon capsules. The satellites from Bangladesh (BRAC Onnesha) and Mongolia (Mazaalai) are those countries first satellites. GhanaSat-1 was released by a Japanese astronaut from the Nanoracks CubeSat Deployer, located in the Japanese Kibō module of the International Space Station, on 7 July 2017. Operations The satellite was primarily a technology demonstrator and Earth observation satellite. The Ghana scientists took images of the Ghanaian coastline for cartography. The acting director of Space Systems Technology Laboratory at All Nations University, Richard Damoah, said the satellite would "...also help us train the upcoming generation on how to apply satellites in different activities around our region. For instance, monitoring illegal mining is one of the things we are looking to accomplish". == Future work ==

The university plans to coordinate with the government to build GhanaSat-2 and GhanaSat-3. The primary objective of GhanaSat-2 is to monitor water pollution, illegal mining, and deforestation. Japan's work with non-spacefaring countries continues with the Philippines, Bhutan, and Malaysia through Birds-2, launched in 2018 along with SpaceX CRS-15. Dr. Benjamin Bonsu, the leader of the Ghanasat-1 project, recently introduced an innovative concept for a constellation of microsatellites at the 2024 World Space Forum. During his presentation, he highlighted the potential benefits of deploying multiple small satellites in orbit, which could enhance communication, earth observation, and data collection capabilities for various applications. His proposal aims to leverage advancements in satellite technology to improve Ghana's presence in the space sector and foster international collaboration in space exploration and research == References ==