NASRDA expresses commitment to developing indigenous technology

The National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA) said it is committed to developing the country’s indigenous technology in basic space technology.

Prof. Seidu Mohammed, director-general of the agency, said this at the Space Centre Week and Exhibition of the agency’s Centre for Basic Space Science (CBSS) in Nsukka, Enugu State, with the theme “Basic Space Science for Development”.

Represented by Dr Spencer Onu, director, Centre for Satellite Technology Development (CSTD), Mohammed said that the agency was taking steps to ensure that projects and actions were in line with Federal Government’s effort to make Nigeria a knowledge-based economy.

The director-general said that the agency was into production of scientific tools like a telescope to aid sustainable scientific research in the country.

A telescope is an optical instrument designed to make distant objects appear closer which also contains an arrangement of lenses, curved mirrors and lenses.

Telescope also collects rays of light and magnifies focused objects.

Mohammed said that although the cost of funding the production of the telescope was high, the centre would deploy available resources to develop the tool.

He added that “we believe that the telescope proposed by CBSS is very useful and functional to our requirement.

“It has been under construction for four years now but we have to intervene now because two years ago, money was allocated for it but was not approved by the National Assembly.