The Entoto Observatory. (COURTESY PHOTO)

Edited by WANG Xiaoxia

The Entoto Observatory stands out on the outskirts of Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa. The observatory receives and analyzes data from the satellite ETRSS-1, which was launched in December 2019 and is Ethiopia's first-ever earth observatory satellite. Both the satellite and observatory are backed by China under a south-south cooperation project.

The satellite gathers data for agricultural, mining and environmental protection. For the first time, Ethiopian people saw the urban layout of the capital Addis Ababa, the ecological status of vegetation around the dormant volcano Zuqualla, and the evolution of the water body and coast of the Koka Lake through ETRSS-1 satellite images, said an Ethiopian engineer at the observatory.

Ethiopian engineers and technicians received systematic training from China and learned to digitalize the satellite data and pictures, which helps people understand the distribution of fire points in the Nile Valley and the change of humidity of farms and pastures, said the engineer. Real-time data and images from ETRSS-1 show that global warming is accelerating evaporation of plants and surface water, resulting in much drier soils in the Horn of Africa.

To further improve the accuracy of satellite monitoring, China helped Ethiopia to launch its second satellite in December 2020. The satellite, named ET-SMART-RSS, is equipped with highly advanced resolutions to capture clearer and more detailed pictures.

With the operation of ET-SMART-RSS and the construction of more powerful receiving antennas, satellite data will gradually realize the one-meter-resolution, according to the Ethiopian Space Science and Technology Institute.

At the 19th World Meteorological Congress held in June, the China Meteorological Administration and its Ethiopian counterpart signed an MOU on cooperation in meteorological science and technology. The two sides will focus on developing meteorological early warning systems, satellite data reception facilities, and promote their application in agriculture, forestry and water resources monitoring, to help Ethiopia better cope with climate change, said Fetene Teshome, director general of Ethiopian National Meteorology Agency.