The EnduroSat and BIUST teams meeting in Botswana. Photo: EnduroSat

EnduroSat has signed a landmark deal in Africa which will see it help to build Botswana’s first-ever satellite. EnduroSat will work with The Botswana International University of Science and Technology (BIUST) to build BOTSAT-1, the country’s first satellite. EnduroSat announced the deal, July 3.

BOTSAT-1 will directly benefit local agriculture and mining industries by using the onboard hyperspectral camera payload to provide key intelligence on the contents of grounds and soils. With this new space data, BIUST aims to empower decision makers with the information for long term planning and investments.

This mission is designed to generate hands-on technical and mission operations experience in Botswana. BIUST engineers will join the EnduroSat team in Sofia, Bulgaria to complete the satellite’s assembly and payload integration. BIUST will take full advantage of the satellite’s software-flexible architecture via the SpaceOps software.

The satellite is set to launch on the SpaceX’s Transporter-13 mission no earlier than February 2025.

“BIUST has an enormous potential for growth, and I am proud that they have chosen to partner with EnduroSat in this journey. Their team is incredibly dedicated and focused on making a positive impact. The fact that their organization has a long-term strategic growth vision, and that they are following it strictly, will enable them to build a formidable space program,” Professor Otlogetswe Totolo, vice chancellor of BIUST, said in a statement.