Nigeria sending Astronauts to space

Africa is officially joining the space race with Nigeria launching 3 satellites into space in 2011; earth observation satellites NigeriaSat-2, NigeriaSat-X and communications satellite Nigcomsat 1R. Now its current Minister of Science and Technology, Professor Ita Ewa, says they will launch 3 more satellites and send astronauts to space by 2015. The effort is part of the Nigerian government’s initiative to boost the economy through space technology. The minister enumerated the country’s space programme from now to 2028 when it expects to launch a made-in-Nigeria satellite into space.