Odyssey of Ethiopia's space program: Revealing the past and changing the future

Abstract

Only a few nations had historically made important contributions to space activity, but now a large number of countries are scaling up their space activities, and many have set up national space organizations. Ethiopia is one of the developing countries that has lately launched its own space program in an effort to help its people; yet, the Ethiopian space program's history spans approximately 60 years and lags behind for a number of reasons. Ethiopia's space program is still in its infancy and is still under development. However, the nation has been working hard to improve its space science and technology capability, with a particular emphasis on space research and development capability, human resource capacity building, enhancing space infrastructure, and monitoring and regulating space affairs. The study examines the history and present situation of Ethiopia's space program, highlighting the key milestones and accomplishments. It also explores the opportunities and difficulties the program encounters as well as assesses the potential effects of the program. The paper concludes with recommendations for the future development of the program and discusses Ethiopia's attempts to expand its capabilities, challenges, and prospects. © 2023 International Association for the Advancement of Space Safety