The NigeriaSat-1 was the first Nigerian satellite and built by a United Kingdom-based satellite technology company, Surrey Space Technology Limited (SSTL ltd) under the Nigerian government sponsorship for $30 million.
NigeriaSat-1 is the Nigerian contribution to the international Disaster Monitoring Constellation (DMC) project. It is an earth observing microsatellite built by SSTL on the Microsat-100 platform. It features a 32-meter resolution imager in 3 spectral bands.
- The primary objectives of the Nigeriasat-1 were:
- To give early warning signals of environmental disaster;
- To help detect and control desertification in the northern part of Nigeria;
- To assist in demographic planning;
- To establish the relationship between vectors and the environment that breeds malaria and to give early warning signals on future outbreaks of meningitis using remote sensing technology;
- To provide the technology needed to bring education to all parts of the country through distant learning;
- To aid in conflict resolution and border disputes by mapping out state and International borders.
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NigeriaSat-1 is a satellite of the standard Disaster Monitoring Constellation (DMC) design. It has 100 kg mass and carries an optical imaging payload developed by SSTL to provide 32 m ground resolution with an exceptionally wide swath width of over 640 km
NigeriaSat-2 and NigeriaSat-X with 300 kg mass each – built to replace NigeriaSat-1, commenced November 6, 2006, launched 17 August 2011.
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NigeriaSat-2 and NigeriaSat-X, Nigeria’s third and fourth satellites, were built as a high-resolution earth satellite by SSTL for DMC system also.