The Prime Minister, Pravind Kumar Jugnauth, inaugurated the Satellite Ground Station, this morning, at the Mauritius Research and Innovation Council (MRIC), in Ebène. The Mauritius Imagery and Radiotelecommunication Satellite (MIR-SAT1) Commemorative Magazine, the MIR-SAT1 Website and a First Day Cover on MIR-SAT1 were also launched by the Prime Minister on that occasion.
The Minister of Information Technology, Communication and Innovation, Darsanand Balgobin; the Chairperson of the Mauritius Research and Innovation Council, Dr Kaviraj Sharma Sukon; the Executive Director of the Mauritius Research and Innovation Council, Professor Theesan Bahorun; as well as other eminent personalities were present at the ceremony.
In his address, the Prime Minister highlighted that the objective of the ground station is to communicate with the Mauritian nanosatellite deployed into orbit from the International Space Station (ISS) as well as to receive data from the other low orbiting earth satellites. In addition, he underlined that the ground station is equipped with ignition slabs which will enable future research and innovation in the field of satellite design and development. Access to these facilities will be provided to university students and researchers wishing to explore the avenues that space may offer, Mr Jugnauth added.
The Prime Minister expressed gratitude to the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency and the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs for having provided Mauritius with the opportunity to join the league of space-faring countries with the deployment of the first Mauritian nanosatellite in space on 22 June 2021. Moreover, Mr Jugnauth highlighted that such initiatives are in line with the Government’s innovative strategy. As we embark on the path of knowledge-based growth, the Government will invest more and more resources in research and innovation, he said.
On this score, the Prime Minister indicated that to help the country stay on course of this ambitious strategy, the innovation portfolio was added to the Ministry of Information Technology, Communication and Innovation two years ago and the Mauritius Research Council was transformed into the MRIC. In this context, Mr Jugnauth stated that the MRIC Act was amended in July 2021 to expand the mandate of the Council so that it undertakes research in areas likely to strengthen the Mauritian Research and Innovation ecosystem. This year, the space portfolio has been added to the Ministry of Information Technology, Communication and Innovation through the MRIC, he said.
Furthermore, the Prime Minister recalled that, together with the relevant institutional changes to drive innovation, special funds have been earmarked under the National Innovation Programme to fund innovative projects. The National Innovation Framework, he added, setting out the strategy for the period 2018 to 2030, is currently being implemented and aims to transform the Mauritian economy through a plan for innovation. It is a unique programme that creates innovation ecosystems in order to transform the landscape of the Mauritian economy through coordinated efforts between the Industry and Academia and between different disciplines.
Speaking of the ranking of Mauritius on the Global Innovation Index Report, the Prime Minister highlighted that the initiatives paid off when Mauritius climbed from the 82nd place in 2018 to the 52nd place in 2020. He reiterated his commitment to further improve the ranking of Mauritius despite the challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
For his part, Minister Balgobin underlined that the deployment of the MIR-SAT1 from the ISS into orbit was the culmination of a long journey, which the team at the Mauritius Research and Innovation Council had embarked upon three years ago in order to bring the First Mauritian Satellite to realisation. He highlighted that with the setting up of the ground station, the team of engineers of the MRIC is able to constantly monitor the satellite’s trajectory in real time and its status, and collect data and imagery.
Minister Balgobin reiterated the commitment of the Government to keep innovating and building stronger capacity as regards technology and innovation so as to face the world’s volatile economy. African countries including countries like Kenya, Ghana, South Africa, are actively engaging into new space technologies, he said. They have already sent their first satellites as well as are collecting data from space and it is a matter of pride that Mauritius has also joined this trend, he added.
Furthermore, he indicated that this year, the mandate of the MRIC has been extended by an amendment to the MRIC Act to conduct research on identified national priority thrust areas in order to strengthen the research ecosystem. The Mauritius Emerging Technologies Council, which is being set up, will change the research landscape to include new and emerging technologies, he pointed out.
Mauritius is an upper middle-income country and is poised to transition to the level of a high-income country, where innovation becomes the key driver of socio-economic development. In this context, Minister Balgobin underscored that the MRIC, in collaboration with the Mauritius Radio Amateur Society and the Ministry of Education, Tertiary Education, Science and Technology, have already trained more than 100 students from 14 colleges and five universities, and are planning to train some 500 more students.
