Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd. signed a contract with the National Space Research and Development Agency of Nigeria for a small Earth observation satellite, Surrey Satellite announced Nov. 6.

Nigeriasat-2 will be based upon a new generation of small satellite technology and will become part of the Disaster Monitoring Constellation (DMC), Surrey Satellite said. Nigeria already operates Nigeriasat-1 as part of the DMC, a constellation of small satellites that provide disaster monitoring around the globe as well as imaging for government and commercial use.

"This contract is the next step in Nigeria’s long term plans to use space for the benefit of Nigeria and Africa," Robert Boroffice, director general of the agency, said in a statement. "We are convinced that space provides a cost-effective means of addressing many of the issues facing African nations such as mapping, water resources management, agricultural land use monitoring, population estimation, health hazard monitoring and disaster mitigation and management."