The Astronomy Society of Nigeria has urged the federal government to develop indigenous capacity for space exploration.

According to the ASN, Nigeria possesses the human capital needed to participate meaningfully in the emerging global space economy.

Bonaventure Okere, acting president of ASN, made the call on Thursday while reacting to lessons from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Artemis II Moon mission on April 1 and its implications for science, innovation and technological development in Nigeria and Africa.

Mr Okere said the Artemis II mission had opened a new frontier in global space exploration and should inspire African countries to invest more in astronomy, satellite development, propulsion systems and space research.

“In astronomy, most of our research and observations are done in frequency bandwidths, and if the government can invest in it, it will help our communication technology. We can develop our propulsion centre and be able to launch satellites from Nigeria; it will be a good opportunity for Nigeria, both in terms of communication and economic growth and in other fields, and help us develop.

“We are asking to invest in the launching of satellites; we have a department in the National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA) that can also prepare humans to go into space.

“We need to encourage Nigeria to keep up with the communication and the global technology and the other areas of science,” he said.

According to him, it is time for Nigeria to start looking into how it can develop its indigenous capacity to go to space.

He said the country had the manpower but required a political will to make the right investment in the sector.

Mr Okere said Nigeria already had scientists and researchers working in various aspects of space science, including satellite technology and space food studies.

He said that Nigerian researchers were already studying how local food crops and seeds respond to space conditions.

He added that such research could become important for future Nigerian astronauts and human space missions.

He explained that the Artemis programme represented humanity’s renewed effort to explore deep space nearly 50 years after the last manned lunar missions.

According to him, the mission is designed to deepen scientific understanding of the Moon and prepare for possible future human settlement beyond the Earth.

“Every night we see only one side of the Moon because of the way the Moon rotates around the Earth. The mission is helping scientists to study the other side of the Moon and determine whether it can support future human activities,” he said.

He said the mission involved one of the farthest human space journeys attempted in recent times, travelling close to 700,000 miles to study the Moon’s surface and surrounding environment.

Mr Okere said although astronauts did not land on the Moon during the mission, scientists were able to gather critical data that would guide future lunar landings and possible long-term habitation.

He added that one of the most important aspects of the mission was understanding how deep-space radiation and microgravity affected the human body.

According to him, findings from the mission will help scientists study the impact of space travel on human organs, sleep patterns, immune systems and overall health.

“When humans travel that far into space, scientists will be able to examine how cosmic radiation and microgravity affect the body and use the findings to prepare for future deep-space missions,” he said.

The ASN president also mentioned that the mission would contribute significantly to advancements in communication technology, especially deep-space communication systems capable of maintaining contact across extremely long distances.

He explained that many technologies currently used globally, including satellite communications, emerged from earlier space programmes.

Mr Okere also identified astrotourism as another major opportunity emerging from global space exploration. He said reports about the mission showed that hundreds of thousands of people travelled to witness the launch activities, generating huge economic benefits for host communities.

“From the report we have, the launch drew over 900,000 live-stream viewers, with an estimate of about 400,000 visitors to Florida’s coast, which generated for the local community almost $160 million.

“It generated for the local community about $160 million because people had to go to the coast to see the landing, the take-off, and when these astronauts were picked up from the sea,” he said.

He said Nigeria and other African countries should build on the momentum of the mission to look inwards and develop indigenous capabilities.

(NAN)