Armed with only a team of student volunteers and a workspace in his mother’s backyard, 28-year-old Chris Nsamba has set out to build and launch Uganda’s first space observer.

 

According to Nsamba, he and his team have been working up to 18 hours a day on the project. With an appearance similar to a beach ball, the probe is equipped with solar panels and a camera. The proposed launch of the observer involves a helium weather balloon to carry the probe up to 120,000 feet, at which point thrusters would be engaged. Nsamba’s probe is functional and thrusters have been tested, and Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni, has given permission to launch the observer, pending inspection, according to reports.