L-band antenna at Redu ground station. Photo: ESA.

China HEAD Aerospace Technology Co. and its subsidiary HEAD Technology France (HEAD), has been awarded a key multi-million Euro contract in Ethiopia through a consortium led by HEAD and its partner, China Centre for Resources Satellite Data and Applications (CRESDA). The contract was awarded by the Ethiopian Space Science and Technology Institute (ESSTI).  The multi-million contract awarded to the consortium will include the procurement of a ground receiving station, data processing software, satellite imagery and related training services.

Nine bidders participated in the tender, including Airbus Defense & Space, Avorniga Technologies, China Great Wall Industry (CGWIC), E-Geos, HEAD-CRESDA Consortium, Hiwing Mechanical and Electrical, KT Consortium, Poly Technologies, and Satrec Initiative Imaging Services (SIIS).

The ground station, planned to be installed in the Entoto Observatory and Research Center in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, will allow the country to receive the satellite data and develop applications including agriculture, forestry, land use management, urban mapping, natural resource monitoring, disaster monitoring, and mining.