Technology and Science Minister Felix Mutati has said that Zambia will in the next two years transform from the use of Analogue Satellite to the digital satellite.
Mr Mutati said that Zambia’s first satellite launched in 1974 at Mwembeshi Earth centre has been surpassed with advancement in technology making the country lag behind, explaining that moving from analogue will enhance digital economic activities for Government to plan ahead in challenges such as climate change, flooding and in the health sector among others.
Mr Mutati was speaking after touring the Mwembeshi earth satellite and works by Avic International at National Remote Sensing Centre where a digital satellite will be installed in the Chibombo area.
He also urged a team of experts headed by National Remote Sensing Centre Director Faustin Banda, the University of Zambia and the contractor AVIC international to ensure they speed up works for the new satellite
The minister however expressed happiness that infrastructure by AVIC at the Centre is now complete and will have to provide the Antenna for images and computer system.
Meanwhile, Mr Mutati disclosed that Government is looking at ways in which the old equipment at Mwembeshi earth Moving Centre can be transformed to contribute to technology.
This was after ZAMTEL Chief Technical Officer Jason Mwanza explained to the Minister that the analogue satellite can be used for research in remote rural areas.
Wrong heading……..
Zambia has never launched a satellite……
Mwwembweshi is an earth station which is to be upgraded to recive and process digital satalite signals, which are in the vast majority nowadays…………….
Was it not for the corruption and short-sightedness of lungu and his gang……..
This work should have been included and competed in the same $275 million digital terrestrial TV work……….
Try MAXAR geospatial economic solutions?? The more you increase STEM science and collaboration in labour schools and communities the better the economic innovation and progress In as much as this is low our country shall forever depend on others for tooth picks and boom it’s as little as that in small critical things like STEM. Foreinstance Investments will follow good stem and schools in core equipment for productivity that creates favourable balances on capital accounts in import substitutions for common engineering tools including those satellites in MAXAR
Mwembeshi is totally obsolete. Modernization will cost ten times more than buying a modern satellite earth station. Zamtel doesn’t use Mwembeshi anylonger, everything is going by fiber-optic cable now.
Number 1 and 4 are correct, as for mixing analogue and digital is a waste of time and not worth while , The old equipment at Mwembeshi is only worth its value in scrap metal prices. Cheaper to start afresh.