The launch has been delayed by technical issues affecting a National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) launch, which occupies the rocket launch right before BOTSAT-1.
In a brief interview with The Monitor, Mpoeleng said the NASA rocket which is ahead of BOTSAT-1 is experiencing technical issues, and SpaceX and NASA are currently working through them.
“This should be announced in about six hours whether it is sorted or not, after which we will have a clearer idea of when our own rocket (Transporter 13) will be moved to the launch pad,” he said.
Mpoeleng added that slots for rocket launches cannot be swapped around “like airplanes or buses”.
“Doing so would be like physically swapping Morupule B and A power plants; it is a massive industrial manoeuvre. “As a result, we must wait for NASA to clear their affected rocket (SPHEREx) before ours (Transporter 13) can proceed,” he said.
Mpoeleng said SpaceX only finalises the exact launch date within 24 hours of lift-off.
“The date they provide us is referred to as NET (Not Earlier Than), meaning the launch could happen any time after that date due to potential schedule adjustments caused by space operational complexities including bad weather,” he said.
The BOTSAT-1 project lead appreciated Batswana’s strong interest in the launch, saying “it is great to see so much excitement for this milestone”.
President Duma Boko, his ministers and senior officials are in the US for the launch and have met with senior SpaceX officials ahead of lift-off.
Developed by the Botswana International University of Science and Technology (BIUST), BOTSAT-1 is expected to play “a vital role in supporting various sectors, including enhancing precision farming, monitoring land use, improving early warning systems for natural disasters such as floods, droughts, and wildfires, as well as tracking climate change,” the state-owned Daily News reported last week.
The satellite will also be crucial in monitoring deforestation, and biodiversity, as well as aiding infrastructure development and land mapping, the newspaper said.
