Harare (New Ziana) –The Zimbabwe National Geospatial and Space Agency (ZINGSA) has signed a memorandum of understanding with Russia’s space corporation Roscosmos,creating the basis for collaboration in the field of remote sensing of the earth and in training space industry personnel.
The agreement was signed in Moscow on Monday by Deputy Minister of Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science and Technological Development Reymore Machingura, who was accompanied by ZINGSA acting director Pianos Gweme and Roscosmos deputy director general Oleg Frolov.
“During the meeting, the parties discussed the perspectives of the Russian-Zimbabwean cooperation in the field of Earth remote sensing from space and training specialists for the space industry. The meeting resulted in the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding between Roscosmos and ZINGSA on cooperation in the field of research and use of outer space for peaceful purposes,” Roscosmos said in a press release.
“During the visit to Moscow, the delegation of the Republic of Zimbabwe will also pay a reference visit to the Russian rocket and space industry enterprises: the Russian Space Systems Scientific Center for Earth Operational Monitoring, NPO Lavochkin and the TsNIIMash Mission Control Center.”
This is the second major cooperation deal that Zimbabwe has secured with Russia within a short space of time.
In September, Zimbabwe’s Energy and Power Development Ministry and Russian state-owned nuclear agency, Rosatom signed a nuclear co-operation deal covering a number of civilian areas in medicine, agriculture and industry.
The deal, which was signed on the sidelines of the 65th session of the International Atomic Energy Agency in Austria, created the basis for the two sides to explore various civilian areas to co-operate in the use of nuclear energy and materials.
Meanwhile, ZINGSA, which was launched in September, is mandated with enhancing Zimbabwe’s capability to harness space technologies to monitor environmental hazards, weather patterns and climate change.
Speaking at its launch, President Emerson Mnangagwa said ZINGSA would design, regulate, promote, coordinate and conduct research in geospatial science and earth observation, space engineering, space science, aeronautical engineering and global navigation satellite systems.
“The acceleration of science and technology and innovation remains necessary for promoting sustainable development, building modernised economic systems and promoting transformations across all sectors. In addition, science and technology innovation are important catalysts to realise a high quality of life for our people,” he said then.
New Ziana