Africa’s First Moon Mission

The main objective of the mission, named Africa2Moon, is to send an orbiter to moon which can send video feeds back to earth which can then be passed on to African schools. The project will inspire young scientists to take up challenging science explorations and also embrace science as a career option.

Since the beginning of the project, almost US $12,700 has been raised. The project is also intended at fetching in investments in the field of science and technology in the country.

"The main driver behind this mission is inspiring the youth of Africa to believe that space exploration ... is not something that is the exclusive preserve of the most advanced countries," Peter Martinez, the Foundation's founding director tells SciDev.Net.

"The aspiration of any engineer or scientist is to try and reach the pinnacle of their field by working on the most important projects with the most recognised colleagues," he said.

Sias Mostert, an executive at South African satellite program and systems engineering firm the Space Advisory Company has also donated about US $1,000 to the project. The mission is being seen as a way to boost the space and ICT sectors of the continent.

"To roll out ICT infrastructure in Africa, space is the only quick solution," Mostert remarks "We also need great employees that are inspired, motivated and highly educated. Advancing an ambitious space project can contribute to getting more people that can join our industry."

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