Nine satellites were on the China-Brazil Earth Resource Satellite-4A rocket launched from China on Friday [File Photo: Reuters]

Ethiopia launched its first satellite into space on Friday, as more sub-Saharan African nations strive to develop space programs to advance their development goals and encourage scientific innovation. Before dawn on Friday, senior officials and citizens gathered at the Entoto Observatory and Research Centre just north of the capital Addis Ababa to watch a live broadcast of the satellite’s launch from a space station in China.

NASA says Boeing Starliner is ‘healthy’, to land in New Mexico

The Boeing Co Starliner spacecraft that failed to reach the right orbit to reach the International Space Station is “healthy,” in a stable orbit and expected to land in New Mexico on Sunday morning, NASA said on Saturday. The Boeing CST-100 Starliner astronaut capsule was successfully launched from Florida on Friday, but an automated timer error prevented the spacecraft from attaining the correct orbit for it to rendezvous and dock with the space station.

NASA and Boeing officials said on a Saturday conference call they are still investigating the causes of the failure.