The National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA), has announced the postponement of its plan to launch a satellite from the country.
During the NASRDA Day presentation at the 8th Science, Technology, and Innovation (STI) Expo, Dr. Halilu Shaba, the Director-General of NASRDA, disclosed that the agency’s 2025 satellite launch plan has been put on hold due to insufficient funding.
Dr. Shaba stated the ambitious nature of the plan and the financial challenges that prevent its execution at the moment. He mentioned that NASRDA lacks the financial resources to pursue other grand objectives, such as sending an astronaut into space, due to the exorbitant costs associated with such endeavors.
The Director-General explained that the process of planning and securing a launch slot for an astronaut typically takes around five years. Stating the impracticality of initiating astronaut training without a confirmed launch slot, as the individual might age and become unfit for space travel by the time an opportunity arises.
These developments come as a setback to NASRDA’s 25-year plan, which aimed to launch a domestically produced satellite and send a Nigerian astronaut into space by 2025. Previously, in October 2023, Dr. Shaba projected a promising future for Nigeria’s space industry, estimating its potential value to reach up to $1 billion.
He envisioned significant economic benefits, with Nigeria potentially generating as much as $20 million from launching a single satellite, provided the country establishes its Assembly, Integration, and Testing Laboratory (AITL).
