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Can ET phone home ? Can the extra terrestrials which seem like aliens unseen in our Engineering Technology now REALLY make a satellite ?

Convinced that Space Science is critical in the development of any nation, Nigeria has completed work in the building of two more earth observation satellites, NigeriaSat 2 and Nigeria Sat X, said Seidu Mohammed, the Director General of National Space Research and Development Agency, NASRDA.

Mr. Mohammed, who stated that the satellites will be due for launch on October 2010, adding that specifically, the Nigeria Sat X was designed and built by 27 Nigerian Engineers.

“Satellite projects, like building projects, are in phases. We have finished most of the phases. The spacecraft are now ready. The Nigerian engineers were there to design and implement Sat X and they have done that and are back home.

“The next stage is to move the satellite to the site for launch. It takes a lot of time, the launching company has to look through its programme, get itself ready and by October, the satellite will be launched,” he said.

He further stated when the two satellites are eventually launched, they will impact positively on agriculture, defence, and almost all other sectors of the Nigerian economy.

“The fact that Nigerian Engineers designed and built Sat X brings confidence into us that it is possible here. We are going to provide data for efficient agriculture all over Nigeria, and the launch of Sat 2 with 2.5m resolution enables all cities to go ahead with cadastral plan to have information to increase their revenue, as Lagos State is doing now, and provide enough information about cultural development in terms of soil characterisation, water resources development, road corridor selection, and so on,” Mr. Mohammed said.

He also noted that Nigeria’s foray into the space science and technology world has enabled the development of a critical mass of space engineers, revealing that 15 engineers were trained for NigeriaSat, which will expire by December 2010. 54 were trained for NIGCOMSAT-1, while 27 were trained for Sat 2 and Sat X, with an additional 25 Scientists trained in geospatial application.

He added that it was only right for Nigeria to build its own satellite, considering the huge capital outflow to source satellite data. He said that today, space technologies have become integrated into everyday life, so deeply that modern and traditional societies cannot function without them.

“Survey conducted by NASRDA in 2004 showed that capital out-flow paid by African countries for their international telephone traffic is about $445 million per year, hence making tariff on communications the highest in Africa than in any other continent. Nigeria alone pays as much as $200 million per year to lease satellite transponders,” he said.

The Director General insisted that the space technology will help in addressing some environmental concerns in Nigeria.

“As a result of recent trends of earthquake in Haiti, Chile, Japan, and China and recent trends in crustal deformation in Nigeria, as evident by tremors in the country and continuous monitoring of Ife-Wara-Zungeru faults in Nigeria, the International Astronomy Agency, IAA, has approved the first expert study for Africa at the request of NASRDA,” he said.

“By this request, IAA is expected to put experts together all over the world to study the equatorial plane for the benefit of the countries within the equatorial region.”

After the recent launching of the multi million dollar satellite and its eventual succesful failure to stay in the earths orbit , maybe Pluto will accept it some industry pundits say . So we can browse the internet and maybe an MTN base station in Mars ! .Now, Some brainiacs and original Naija Rocket Scientists have come up with another brilliant masterplan ! Let us make Handsets !

The Nigerian Communications Satellite Limited (NIGCOMSAT), plans to start producing handsets and computer hardware in the country in less than two years.

To this end, the company has completed and commissioned a locally made Printed Circuit Board Micro Electronics Centre, manned by NIGCOMSAT engineers.

The centre will focus mainly on the production of printed circuit board - which is the basis for electronic systems - for computers and handsets.

The Managing Director of the company, Ahmed Rufai, who disclosed this at the commissioning of the centre on Tuesday in Abuja, said it will have diverse implications on the electronic industry. "Imagine if all the basic electronics we use are produced in Nigeria. Everything you are holding today is imported. But our projection is that in less than two years, we will have standard handsets produced locally. We are also talking to some local computer assembly companies to use our mother boards produced here."

Manufacturing capacity

Mr. Rufai said that at the moment, the centre has the capacity to produce 500 handsets a day and can also produce good quality mother boards for computers. He added that within the next two years they will be able to perfect the products. "What we have here is the prototype. We just want to show the concept that it can be done," he said.

He explained that NIGCOMSAT engineers have been trained to produce these boards, utilising the best international standard to bridge the gap in the Information Communication Technology industry in Nigeria and Africa at large.

He also said that the technology is a spin off from the Know-How Technology Transfer and Training of over 100 Nigerian engineers in China, UK, US and the United Arab Emirates, adding that the satellite technology encompasses all engineering aspects. "It therefore affords these talented engineers the opportunity to look at this aspect of engineering, which is rare on this continent," he said.Mr. Rufai explained that this technological intervention is crucial in the achievement of Nigeria's vision to be amongst the top 20 economies of the world in the year 2020, and the realisation of the present administration's seven-point agenda since technology is the driver of every economy.

Furthermore, he said the revenue prospect for printed circuit board is high, as China has an annual production capacity of six million valued at $80billion (N12trillion), which if replicated in Nigeria will have a great impact on the socio-economic life of the nation.

Technological revolution

Alhassan Bako Zaku, the Minister of Science and Technology, while commissioning the project said the project has marked the onset of a technological revolution in Nigeria.

"It will not only impact on our technological advancement, but also, the socio-economic effect will be positively felt especially in the area of job creation for the youth. In the area of education, the microelectronic centre will also serve as a learning ground for our undergraduates to receive hands-on training and firsthand experience in electronics manufacturing, as the centre is fully equipped to meet their educational needs," he said.

The minister said the centre will also serve local manufacturers and reduce production time and costs - as before now, they had to import the circuit boards for the manufacture and assembling of local electronic products - thereby moving Nigeria from a resource to knowledge based economy.