Zimbabwe to launch third satellite for farming and tech
Zimbabwe is preparing to launch its third satellite into space as part of efforts to improve technology and support farming.
The country’s space agency, the Zimbabwe National Geospatial and Space Agency (ZINGSA), says it is also working on new communication satellites to improve internet and phone connections.
Painos Gweme, who leads ZINGSA, explained that sending a satellite into space takes time and involves many steps.
He said Zimbabwe is not just launching satellites for show but wants to use them to solve real problems in the country including the lack of regular satellite images.
Currently, Zimbabwe does not have up-to-date satellite pictures taken every few hours although this data is important for checking how well crops are growing, tracking soil erosion, and studying changes in the environment.
The country’s next satellite, ZimSat-3, is currently being developed, along with other projects at different stages of production.
This follows the launch of ZimSat-2, which went into space in November 2024. That satellite was supposed to launch earlier in May, but the plan was delayed. Eventually, it was sent into space from a launch site in Russia as part of a commercial mission.
Zimbabwe’s first satellite, ZimSat-1, was launched in November 2022. It is used to help monitor drought, track mining activities, and collect data from a control station in Mazowe.
To support the growing space program, Zimbabwe has upgraded this control station so it can work with advanced satellite signals.
Officials believe the space program is an important step toward making Zimbabwe more modern and improving local industries.
The government also hopes to use satellite technology to monitor illegal mining, which can damage the environment and put communities at risk.
