NASRDA

The National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA) is Nigeria's national space agency, established in 1999 and headquartered in Abuja, responsible for developing and operating Nigerian satellite programs, building national space technology capabilities, and positioning Nigeria as one of Africa's most active space-capable nations.

NASRDA has commissioned several satellites through international manufacturing partnerships. NigeriaSat-1, launched in 2003 aboard a Rokot rocket from Plesetsk Cosmodrome, was Nigeria's first satellite and among the first from sub-Saharan Africa — a 100-kg Earth observation satellite that contributed to the international Disaster Monitoring Constellation (DMC) by providing imagery for flood, earthquake, and agricultural disaster response globally. NigeriaSat-2, launched in 2011, provided higher-resolution 2.5-meter panchromatic imagery for agricultural monitoring, urban planning, and natural resource mapping across Nigeria's diverse geography. NigComSat-1R, Nigeria's replacement geostationary communications satellite (successor to the failed NigComSat-1), launched in 2011 and provides C-band, Ku-band, Ka-band, and L-band capacity for broadband internet, digital television broadcasting, and mobile services across Nigeria and neighboring countries.

NASRDA operates the Centre for Remote Sensing (CEFRS) in Jos, the Centre for Space Science and Technology Education in Ile-Ife, and a network of ground stations including the Abuja Control Centre managing NigComSat-1R operations. The agency promotes Nigeria as a continental hub for space technology development across West Africa and engages with African Union space policy frameworks aimed at developing a coordinated pan-African space program.