By our staff reporter

Ethiopia has recently announced the launch of its “Ground Station as a Service” project, leveraging the multi-satellite data receiving station it established three years ago. The ground station, located at the Entoto Observatory Research Center, has begun offering data reception services to organizations and countries in need of satellite data based on their usage requirements.

The station, operated by the Space Science and Geo-spatial Institute (SSGI), has configured 11 satellites to receive and process information, providing the desired cloud services. By converting the received satellite data into different formats, the station offers data processing capabilities and facilitates access to cloud services.

Abdisa Yilma, the Director General of the institute, expressed that the Ethiopian Space Science and Geospatial Institute has been diligently working on this project for over a year. The multi-satellite data reception station at Entoto has completed configuration works to receive mission data from 11 satellites, enabling data collection and uplink to the designated cloud service address. Consequently, the station is now fully operational and ready to provide data reception services.

This innovative “Ground Station as a Service” project brings significant benefits, particularly for organizations with limited budgets, small satellite operators, and research institutions. Instead of investing in their own data center infrastructure, these entities can access cost-effective data center services by paying only for the time slots they utilize. This approach allows them to access global satellite data coverage without incurring high capital costs.

Overall, the project is expected to foster substantial growth in the data reception sector, generating significant foreign exchange income. The addition of more satellites to the data reception station and various data analysis operations are anticipated to further enhance the service’s scalability and economic potential.