The Ghana Space Science and Technology Institute (GSSTI) was opened officially on 2 May 2012 as

Ghana Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and To ...

’s first space science, space exploration,

astronomy Astronomy () is a natural science that studies celestial objects and phenomena. It uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry in order to explain their origin and evolution. Objects of interest include planets, moons, stars, nebulae, g ...

and technology

space agency This is a list of government agencies engaged in activities related to outer space and space exploration. As of 2022, 77 different government space agencies are in existence, 16 of which have launch capabilities. Six government space agencie ...

. It is an Institution under the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission. GSSTI and Ghana Space Agency (GhSA) aim to become an arena of excellence in space science, space exploration and

space technology Space technology is technology for use in outer space, in travel (''astronautics'') or other activities beyond Earth's atmosphere, for purposes such as spaceflight, space exploration, and Earth observation. Space technology includes space vehicles ...

through teaching, learning,

private spaceflight Private spaceflight is spaceflight or the development of spaceflight technology that is conducted and paid for by an entity other than a government agency. In the early decades of the Space Age, the government space agencies of the Soviet Un ...

and space research commercialisation. The centre and

will also allow scientists and astronauts to conduct research into astrophysics, remote sensing, natural resource management,

weather forecasting Weather forecasting is the application of science and technology to predict the conditions of the atmosphere for a given location and time. People have attempted to predict the weather informally for millennia and formally since the 19th cent ...

, agriculture and national security.

History

The Ghana Space Science and Technology Institute (GSSTI) was first established as a Centre under the School of Nuclear and Allied Sciences (SNAS) in January 2011 and launched in May 2012. It was later upgraded to an Institute in August 2013, to exploit space science and technology for socio-economic development of the country.

Operations

The GSSTI space agency's first flagship project is the Ghana Radio

Astronomy Astronomy () is a natural science that studies celestial objects and phenomena. It uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry in order to explain their origin and evolution. Objects of interest include planets, moons, stars, nebulae, g ...

Project which will see the abandoned

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earth

satellite A satellite or artificial satellite is an object intentionally placed into orbit in outer space. Except for passive satellites, most satellites have an electricity generation system for equipment on board, such as solar panels or radioi ...

station at Kuntunse, near Accra which have the 32- metre dish turned into a

radio astronomy Radio astronomy is a subfield of astronomy that studies celestial objects at radio frequencies. The first detection of radio waves from an astronomical object was in 1933, when Karl Jansky at Bell Telephone Laboratories reported radiation comin ...

telescope. In 2012, work was conducted by Ghanaian experts of the GSSTI and South African experts of the Square Kilometre Array (SKA-SA) of

South African National Space Agency The South African National Space Agency (SANSA) is South Africa's government agency responsible for the promotion and development of aeronautics and aerospace space research. It fosters cooperation in space-related activities and research in sp ...

to replace worn out parts. The 32- metre radio telescope was commissioned as the Ghana Radio Astronomy Observatory (GRAO) on the 24th August 2017, by the President of Ghana, HE Nana Addo Dankwa Akuffo Addo and the Minister of Science of South Africa, Hon Grace Naledi Mandisa Pandor. The GSSTI is working with the China National Space Administration to engage with astronauts, students, and young professionals about collaboration with the centre and space agency; and it has already embarked on outreach programmes to schools and has run tours to scientific sites.

Technicity

Between the years of 2012 and 2024, Ghana is reportedly seeking

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5-10 billion in finance and funding support to develop the centre's infrastructure and human capacity. It has approached a global consortium of multinational institutions - including the China Development Bank, and the bank HSBC – as well as requesting technical advice from the China National Space Administration, and

NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil List of government space agencies, space program ...

for space science exploration, and institutions in Japan, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency and India, Indian Space Research Organisation. The agency is planning to complete its first satellite by 2020. In 2015, the government allocated $10 million to research nuclear and space science technology. The goal of the funding is to increase outreach and work towards Earth imaging satellites, so they do not have to purchase imagery from other countries. As of 2016, there are 20 employees working at the institute. A major driver of Earth monitoring satellites is to curtail the increase in

illegal mining Illegal mining is mining activity that is undertaken without state permission, in particular in absence of land rights, mining licenses, and exploration or mineral transportation permits. Illegal mining can be a subsistence activity, as is the ca ...

, which has a negative effect on the environment.

Notable staff

* Nana Klutse, Senior Research Scientist from 2016 to 2018

References

{{authority control Space agencies Government agencies established in 2012 Research institutes in Ghana

History

Operations

Technicity

Notable staff

See also

References