astronomy

GhanaSat-1

GhanaSat-1 is a astronomy topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand GhanaSat-1 rather than just read about it. In short: GhanaSat-1 was the first nanosatellite of Ghana to be launched into space. It was designed and built in two years in conjunction with the Kyushu Institute of Technology through the Birds-1 program, which had the goal of helping countries build their first satellite.

Key takeaways

GhanaSat-1 belongs to astronomy; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect GhanaSat-1 to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of GhanaSat-1 from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

GhanaSat-1 was the first nanosatellite of Ghana to be launched into space. It was designed and built in two years in conjunction with the Kyushu Institute of Technology through the Birds-1 program, which had the goal of helping countries build their first satellite. The satellite took images, collected atmospheric data, measured space radiation, and transmitted uploaded audio. GhanaSat-1 was launched to the International Space Station (ISS) on a Falcon 9 rocket. It was released into space from the Nanoracks CubeSat Deployer on the ISS on 7 July 2017 and was used to monitor environmental activities along Ghana's coastline. The satellite deorbited on 22 May 2019.

Background GhanaSat-1 was developed by engineers Benjamin Bonsu, Ernest Matey, and Joseph Quansah at All Nations University in Ghana. The Ghana team joined the Joint Global Multi-Nation Birds satellite program, supported by Kyushu Institute of Technology (KIT) of Japan, which is a cross-border interdisciplinary satellite project for non-spacefaring countries. The Birds-1 Project included four guest countries: Ghana, Mongolia, Nigeria, and Bangladesh. GhanaSat-1 is Ghana's first satellite launched into orbit, entirely funded by All Nations University. This achievement makes All Nations University Africa's first private university to launch a satellite into orbit.

Design and development The two-year period spanning the development, construction, launch, and operation of the Bird-1 satellites engaged three university students from each of the five participating countries. The five 1U CubeSats, four built by the guest countries and one by Kyushu Institute of Technology (Japan), were all identical in design. The satellite cost about US$500,000 to manufacture and launch. GhanaSat-1 was a nanosatellite, weighing around 1 kilogram (2.2 lb). Power was generated by solar cells and stored in batteries. The satellite was cube-shaped and measured 10 centimetres (3.9 in) on each side. The satellite carried low- and high-resolution cameras that took pictures of Ghana and monitored the country's coastline. The satellite had the ability to receive requested songs from the ground and transmit them from space; the national anthem of Ghana was one of the songs broadcast in orbit. The satellite also measured the effects of radiation in space on commercial microprocessors. GhanaSat-1 was given to the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) on 9 February 2017, and was then transferred to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) on 12 February 2017. The GhanaSat-1 Birds designation is Bird GG.

Mission

Launch SpaceX launched the satellite on its CRS-11 mission to the International Space Station on 3 June 2017. The satellite was carried in a Dragon spacecraft on a Falcon 9 rocket, launched from NASA's Kennedy Space Center, LC-39A. This was the 100th launch from LC-39A and the first time SpaceX reused one of its Dragon capsules. This mission also carried CubeSats from Japan, Bangladesh, Nigeria, and Mongolia. The satellites from Bangladesh (BRAC Onnesha) and Mongolia (Mazaalai) are those countries' first satellites. GhanaSat-1 was released by a Japanese astronaut from the Nanoracks CubeSat Deployer, located in the Japanese Kibō module of the International Space Station, on 7 July 2017. The satellite launch was broadcast live and watched by over 400 people at All Nations University. The satellite orbited the Earth at an altitude of 400 kilometres (250 mi) and at an inclination of 51.64°, completing an orbit around the planet every 92.57 minutes at a velocity of 7.67 kilometres per second (4.77 mi/s).

Operations The satellite was primarily a technology demonstrator and Earth observation satellite. The Ghanian scientists took images of the Ghanaian coastline for cartography. The acting director of Space Systems Technology Laboratory at All Nations University, Richard Damoah, said the satellite would "...also help us train the upcoming generation on how to apply satellites in different activities around our region. For instance, monitoring illegal mining is one of the things we are looking to accomplish". The satellite communicated with seven ground stations: one in each of the countries participating in the Birds-1 program, and one each in Thailand and Taiwan. The satellite was the last of the Birds-1 group to deorbit, ending its mission 22 May 2019.

Future work The university plans to coordinate with the government to build GhanaSat-2 and GhanaSat-3. The primary objective of GhanaSat-2 is to monitor water pollution, illegal mining, and deforestation. Japan's work with non-spacefaring countries continues with the Philippines, Bhutan, and Malaysia through Birds-2, launched in 2018 along with SpaceX CRS-15.

References

External links Official Birds website

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with GhanaSat-1

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what GhanaSat-1 claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In astronomy, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to GhanaSat-1 before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about GhanaSat-1 ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of GhanaSat-1

In research: GhanaSat-1 appears in astronomy research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses GhanaSat-1 in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: GhanaSat-1 is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 2017 in Ghana, CubeSats, First artificial satellites of a country, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for GhanaSat-1 outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study GhanaSat-1 in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what GhanaSat-1 means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain GhanaSat-1 out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is GhanaSat-1 in simple terms?

Why does GhanaSat-1 matter?

Because it connects several astronomy ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study GhanaSat-1?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on GhanaSat-1.