SJUIT- Satellite Development project

The St. Joseph University In Tanzania (SJUIT) through its College of Engineering and Technology – the St. Joseph College of Engineering and Technology (SJCET) embarked on a Nano satellite design project since 2020. Some concrete milestones have been reached.

The St. Joseph University In Tanzania’s (SJUIT’s) Satellite Development project aims to design and build a CubeSat satellite to address the unique challenges faced by Tanzania, as a developing country with limited resources. The CubeSat that is being developed is a small and cost-effective satellite that offer an opportunity to leverage space technology to tackle specific issues in a targeted and efficient manner. It will be equipped with remote sensing instruments to monitor forests, wildlife habitats, and changes in land cover. The collected data will be utilized for various purposes such as to support conservation efforts, monitoring weather patterns and early detection of environmental degradation.

The gathered information will support precision agriculture practices, improve irrigation efficiency, and enhance food security. For instance, locust infestations pose significant challenges to agriculture and food security in Africa, including Tanzania, therefore, combining satellite data with information collected on the ground provide more comprehensive and accurate insights into locust behaviour and its impact on agriculture.

The St. Joseph University In Tanzania’s (SJUIT’s) Satellite Development project activities include developing various hardware components and software—including algorithms and data processing and analysis techniques.